The Departed
by AthosionWarrior
Summary: When an old enemy suddenly resurfaces, Commander Selena Shepard finds herself thrown into a world she would rather forget, with a woman she thought was dead. Once again, it's up to her to save the galaxy...if she could just keep it together.
1. Sleepless

**I have not written FanFic in a while, in fact I have been really busy writing some original stuff, but my muse has gone on holiday and I cannot seem to write any more of my novel, so I decided that I will write some FanFic to get me back into the flow of writing again. Hope you enjoy!**

 **First chapter is a little short, next chapter is longer. I have not written in a while so please tell me what you think, anyone who is interested in helping me out as a beta, please get in contact.**

 **This is a second post, as the other one had a few silly mistakes that I only noticed when I read it through again. I could not figure out how to edit the other post I did.**

 **...**

 _Sometimes, it is better if the past stays buried, but when a colony is attacked by an old enemy, Sheppard must open old wounds to help a women she thought she would never see again as the team embark on a dangerous mission against an enemy that was supposed to be dead._

 _Pairing: (Femshep / Liara)_

 _Rating: T for now, M for later chapters_

 _Warnings: Blood, Gore, Sex, Drugs and a lot of swearing._

 _..._

 **Chapter one: Sleepless Nights**

Shepard looked at the clock on her bedside table for what seemed like the hundredth time, her tired eyes squinting at the brightly lit numbers that blinked at her through the darkness of her cabin. She could faintly hear the hum of the Normandy's engines, a familiar, soothing sound that accompanied the soft breathing of her sleeping partner. Shepard looked down at the women that currently lay in her arms, her head resting comfortably on the commander's chest, a small hand was placed delicately on her shoulder, soft long fingers unconsciously fingering the thin material of her tank-top. Selena Shepard smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Liara's crest, before slowly sliding out of the young Asari's embrace.

She rubbed her weary eyes as she stepped into the bathroom, pouring herself a glass of water, as she put the glass to her lips she could not help but catch sight of herself in the mirror above the sink, her once unspoiled skin, now scared and blemished. She squinted at her own reflection, a glint of glowing red evident in her eyes. Her free hand moved to her cheek, her fingertips slightly brushing the angry scars that criss-crossed her cheek, calloused digits tracing the faded scar that ran from the corner of her eye to just across her cheek bone, then moving to the large scar that marked her lips, running from the corner of her nose and down past her lips, coming to a jagged stop just above the indent of her chin. Constant reminders of a war that had been over for more than three years.

Sighing softly, Selena turned on her heel and sat down quietly on the leather sofa by the stairs, her eyes resting on Liara's sleeping form. The Asari's bare back slightly illuminated by the blue glow of the fish tank, light dancing against flawless skin as the young maiden lay sleeping. Turning her gaze towards the brightly glowing fish tank Shepard watched as the different types of fish swam calmly in the blue water.

For a moment, she just sat there, her legs curled comfortably under her, a glass of water in her hand and her eyes fixated upon the many species of fish that drifted peacefully among each other, a splash of colour in the otherwise dark cabin. It was not long before a soft voice called out to her, a welcome warmth washing over her as she felt two delicate hands touch her bare flesh, soft long fingers stroking her cheek and turning her head, pulling green eyes to meet blue.

"Are you even trying to sleep anymore?" Liara asked her, a worried expression etching her features. Shepard sighed and moved away from Liara's touch, running a hand through her knotted red hair. "Is it the nightmares again…are they back?"

Shepard shook her head. The nightmares had never gone away, most nights she would just lay awake, staring at the clock. But she would not tell Liara that.

"I'm fine Liara, really. It's just been one of those nights" Shepard said, a ghost of a smile playing across her features. "Besides, you were stealing most of the covers." Reaching out towards her lover, Shepard pulled Liara into her lap, her smile widening as the Asari giggled. Their lips pressed together almost instantly, Liara's hands running through Shepard's fire red hair as the solider deepened the kiss, her tongue darting out of her own mouth and into the maidens, her hands moving to the small of the women's bare back, her eyes closed. Liara pulled away, looking down at Shepard with bright blue eyes.

"Come back to bed?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow, the lopsided smirk that Liara always loved suddenly gracing her lips.

"What's in it for me?" Shepard asked as innocently as she could, but Liara could sense the hint of mischief behind her words. As the maiden rose to her feet, turning slowly on her heel, she looked over her bare shoulder and smiled, peering at the commander through long dark lashes.

"Why don't you come and find out."

Shepard was on her feet in an instant, moving towards the bed and the now, very naked Asari.

...

 **Hope you liked it guys. I have had a writer's block for some time and this is my first Mass Effect FanFic. It will get a lot more exiting in later chapters, with lots of violence. Please leave a review.**

 **I do need a beta for Grammar and punctuation, please contact me if you are interested.**

 **Next chapter is already written, just want to know what you lovely people think.**


	2. Back to work

**Here is the next chapter, a little longer then the last one. I hope you enjoy it. I have tired to keep it as close as the game as possible, I have just finished my seventh play through!**

 **I am still looking for a beta, so please, if anyone is interested in helping me out I would be very appreciative, the mistakes I make are mostly grammar and or punctuation. In the next few chapters it is going to be getting a little darker and a little more adult so I hope you enjoy.**

 **A huge thanks to all those who followed this fic. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Please read and review, I would really like to hear what you guys think.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Back to work**

Ashley Williams finished what was left of her coffee and leaned back in her seat, her eyes moving from her book of classic poetry and down towards the end of the table. She smiled as she watched her commander whisper something into the ear of the young Asari, hardly containing a chuckle as the maiden turned a bright shade of purple at what the commander had just said. Shepard kissed Liara on the cheek before moving to the chair to the left of the maiden, flashing her signature lopsided smile towards her lover before taking a sip of her 'freshly' made coffee. Ashley had counted that as the commander's fourth cup of coffee of the day.

Her gaze moved around the table, resting on each and every one of her team-mates that quietly conversed with each other, enjoying their breakfasts, their coffee or just the company of their closest friends. Her smile only grew. It had been a little over three years since the Reaper war had ended, the giant machines falling from the sky like someone had just flipped a switch. Everybody had their fair share of scars from the war, but as Ashley moved her gaze back towards her commander, her eyes could not help but fall to the angry raised wounds that splattered her C.O's face. The search teams that were sent out after the destruction were sure the commander was dead, when the crucible fell from the sky, a fiery explosion of metallic debris falling to earth like rain. After two days of continuous searching they had found the spectre trapped under the rubble, body broken and burned, armour destroyed and life slipping away by the second.

Liara had never left the commanders bed side.

A distorted noise broke her out of her thoughts, Jokers voice making her jump as it sounded over the intercom.

"Commander I am getting an urgent transmission from the colony we are heading to. It sounds pretty bad."

Ashley watched as Shepard's smile faulted, her eyes hardening and her shoulders suddenly becoming stiff.

"Ash, Liara, gear up. We move in five!" She ordered, rising from her seat and starting towards the bridge.

When the two women had arrived in the bridge, Shepard already had her armour on, her favoured Valkyrie assault rifle on her back and the hornet at her side. There was a strange look on her face as she stared at the screen that hung just above Jokers head, a frozen image of an unknown ship with an unknown insignia painted on the side. Liara narrowed her eyes and stared at Shepard with a worried expression.

"What have we got?" Ashley asked, her eyes focusing on the vid screen above Jokers head.

"We are getting an SOS from the colony, but the transmission was interrupted before they could tell us who or what was attacking them." Joker said. "We are almost there, ETA six minutes… you might want to get down to the shuttle bay."

Without a word, Shepard turned on her heel and started towards the elevator, Liara watched her go, her eyes narrowing once more.

"What's wrong with her?" Joker asked when his commander was out of earshot. Both Ashley and Liara turned to face the young pilot.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked, a frown forming on her face.

"When she got here she was all jokes and sarcasm…until she saw that" Joker pointed up towards the vid screen that still held the frozen image of the strange ship. Liara looked closely at the insignia that looked as if it had been painted on the side, something about it seemed familiar.

"Come on doc, we better go. Don't want to keep the commander waiting." Ashley's voice broke her out of her thoughts, the Asari nodded, turning on her heel to follow the human to the shuttle bay. She took one final look towards the frozen image on the screen, then started towards the elevator.

Shepard had been silent the entire shuttle ride to the colony, her eyes focused on the devastation that was displayed on the interior screen. Her jaw was clenched tightly, her rifle hanging by her side, Liara watched her from the comer of her eye, worry etching her features. Her own gaze turned towards the vid screen, showing the human colony engulfed in flames.

"Do we know anything about what's going on down there, who's attacking the colony?" Ashley asked, shifting in the uncomfortable hard seat of the Kodiak. Liara tore her gaze away from her lover before she answered.

"No, but whoever they are, they seem to have military grade hardware…judging from the devastation"

"Why attack this colony…there is nothing but farmland and agricultural labs." The young women pointed out, fiddling with something in her helmet as she spoke, she was also looking at the vid screen, the camera catching site of the strange ship once again.

"They are there for the people lieutenant." Shepard's voice suddenly broke the silence, her eyes never leaving the vid screen as her two companions turned to face her. "The people attacking the colony are slavers."

Liara could not help but gasp, her small hand moving to her lips as she took a step closer to her partner, Shepard did not seem to notice her movement as she continued to stare at the screen.

"Are you sure?" Ashley asked her CO, standing to put her helmet on.

Shepard said nothing for a short while, instead moving towards the door and putting her own helmet on, she straightened her back and gripped her rifle tightly. "Positive"

"We're going in hot commander, you might want to get ready!" Steve's voice shouted from the pilot seat. Liara and Ashley readied themselves behind their commander, waiting anxiously for the door to open.

"What are our orders commander?" Ashley's voice sounded through the radio.

"Survivors are our first priority!" Shepard ordered, readying her rifle in front of her.

"Yes ma'am!" Ashley answered, readying her own rifle as the door hissed open. In an instant Shepard was on the ground, firing her rifle at two heavily armed slavers that dragged a small boy towards their waiting ships. Their bodies hit the floor like a pile of bricks, dark red already seeping through their armour and staining the dusty floor beneath them. The young boy looked up towards Shepard with tearful eyes, his fair skin littered with small cuts and bruises. A man suddenly appeared beside her, sweeping the boy into his arms and holding him tightly.

"Thank you Commander!" He shouted through the roar of gunfire. Shepard nodded.

"Get somewhere safe!" the marine yelled, turning her rifle on two more batarian's that appeared from behind a large metallic structure. The man ran towards cover, holding his son close to his chest.

"Fan out!" she called to her team-mates, taking in the destruction around her. It was just like Mindoir, the blazing fires, the sound of gunfire and screaming and the smell burning flesh. It was all too familiar. Pushing back the memories that threatened to rise to the surface, Shepard surveyed the area, her eyes falling onto a group of people that were being ushered along by no more than five, heavily armoured slavers. She started towards them, her body suddenly engulfed in a brilliant blue, she waited for just the right moment, then threw a shock-wave, taking pleasure in the way the slavers were thrown off their feet. Her hand moved towards the hornet that rested against her hip, bringing it up, she pulled the trigger five times, each shot meeting its target with fatal precision.

"Get somewhere safe!" she shouted, turning away from the group of people she had just saved. As she turned to leave, a hand grabbed her arm. She turned, her eyes falling on a young girl no older than twenty, her pale skin dirtied by blood and grime.

"Wait…commander. You need to save Doctor Carter. She drew away some of the slavers to let us escape, but they caught her!"

"Where did you last see her?"

"The outskirts of the colony. Where they landed that big ship of theirs. They were piling everybody into cages like god dam animals!" Shepard swallowed hard, she remembered the cages very clearly.

"Get to cover. I will go save your doctor"

Her hand moved to her ear. "Cortez do you read me. I need some air support!"

The sound of static deafened her before she could hear the garbled response of her pilot.

"No can do…commander…the LZ is taking heavy….fire, had to get out of there…took out a group of retreating slavers…they seem to be retreating back to the ship…unidentified shuttles approaching my location…"

"Shit, I need to find that ship. Send me the Nav point!"

Shepard's Omni tool beeped. Without a second's hesitation, Shepard started towards the location of the slave ship. Liara and Ashley following closely behind her.

* * *

 **That is the second chapter, the third is already written and ready to be posted, just looking through it for silly mistakes. Please read and review and tell me what you think.**

 **The next chapter will be up soon and it will be a lot more exiting.**


	3. Old friends

**Next chapter is up!**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, there is a lot more action in this chapter and a little more back story...sort of.**

 **Thanks to RheasHelm for the review and the heads up about the little spelling mistake of Shepard's name, hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the other two. I think you will find a little wink in the story concerning your review. :)**

 **Please read enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Old friends**

Ashley Williams watched the slave ship from high cover, her body pressed up against the hard cold metal of a large supply crate. She focused her breathing as she spied the slavers through the scope of her sniper, watching as they piled men, women and children into metal cages, their screams for mercy falling on deaf ears.

She could not believe that the Batarian bastards were back to their old ways, she had thought they had all been wiped out by the Reapers when they first attacked, the pitiful chunk of rock they once called a planet reduced to nothing but ash. She shook her head at the injustice of so much evil surviving the harvest. The galaxy would have been a much better place if ugly shit for brains race was wiped from existence.

Her finger twitched on the trigger as she watched a heavily armoured Batarian slam his fist into the back of a young girls head, laughing as she fell to the floor and lay still. Ashley bit her lip, fighting the urge to pull the trigger.

"Williams, we're in position. Have you got eyes on the targets?" Shepard's voice sounded through her radio, Ashley surveyed the area once more through her scope before she spoke.

"I count seven slavers by the cages, heavily armed, two are standing by the hanger doors and one disappeared around the other side of the ship"

"Easy pickings." Shepard's cocky response made the young lieutenant smile. "Attack on my order"

Ashley's finger twitched on the trigger once more.

"GO!"

In an instant, Ashley pulled the trigger three times, her smile widening as she watched three bodies fall to the ground.

She watched as Shepard broke from her own cover, her own shots taking down three more slavers. Liara appeared from the opposite site, her body glowing with a brilliant blue as she threw a singularity, lifting two slavers in the air. Shepard took care of them with her pistol. She then turned her weapon on the last slaver, firing three shots into his chest.

The slavers bodies feel in silent heaps to the floor.

For a moment the commander just stood there, looking up towards the ship, her eyes falling to the insignia painted on the side. Her thoughts went back to Mindior, the smell of smoke and flesh unearthing memories she thought she had long forgotten. Her eyes fell to the dead slaver, the grip on her pistol tightening as she clenched her fist. The armour he wore was exactly the same as all those years ago, bulky yellow and grey with metallic shoulder guards. She swallowed hard and pushed the memories back.

"Shepard behind you!" Liara's voice broke through the haze of her memories, she turned her head towards her lover, feeling something hard hit her and drag her to the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bright flash of orange, followed by a searing pain in her shoulder. She cried out, blue flame engulfing her fist as she slammed it into her attackers head. Liara finished him off with a shot to the chest. She was at Shepard's side in an instant.

"Shepard, are you OK. Are you hurt?! "

Selena Shepard groaned, holding her shoulder as she attempted to get to her feet.

"Sit still Shepard, I will administer some Medi-gel." Liara's arms glowed orange, the marine could feel the pain in her shoulder subside ever so slightly.

"It will not heal it completely. But it will stop the bleeding…for now.

The Asari stood, extending a hand and helping Shepard to her feet. The solider winced as the action jarred her shoulder. Moving towards the small cages Shepard disengaged the lock, taking a step back as the thick wire grating moved upwards.

"Is everybody OK?" She asked, scanning through the people as they stepped out of their temporary prison. "I am looking for a Doctor Carter, does anybody know where she is?"

The crowd of colonists split, their heads turning backwards towards a young dark haired women that helped an elderly gentlemen to his feet, expert hands moving to tend to a small wound on his head. For a second Shepard just stared at her, mouth hanging open in disbelieve. She blinked twice, not sure if she could believe what her eyes were showing her.

The young doctor finally moved her head to look at her, dark brown eyes meeting green as Shepard removed her helmet. They gazed at each other across the battlefield, a smile parted doctor Carters lips.

"Hello Selena." She whispered, barely loud enough for Shepard to hear. Her voice was sweet, just as she had remembered it. "Long time no see"

Shepard felt her knees weaken, an all too familiar pain clenching her chest as tightly as she clenched the weapon in her hand.

"Alex…" The name rolled off her tongue in a soft whisper

"Shepard." A soft voice called to her, even softer fingers grabbing her shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts. She tore her gaze away from the doctor to face Liara. "Do you know this women Shepard?"

Shepard nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Is something wrong?" The Asari asked, her hand moving to caress Shepard's cheek, the solider flinched, turning away from the women's touch. She cleared her throat, her hand moving towards her ear.

"Cortez. The colony is safe. I am going to need you to do a sweep of the area nearby. "

"Right away commander." His voice crackled in her ear.

"Williams, secure the perimeter, we don't want to be surprised by any of those slaver bastards hiding in the shadows."

"Sure thing Skipper!" Ashley responded, turning on her heel and starting towards the edge of the small colony.

"Liara, you and I will round up survivors, help the wounded." As the commander turned away she felt Liara grab her arm, tight enough to stop her from moving any further.

"You need to get your shoulder looked at Selena." She said, her voice firm. Liara had never used Shepard's first name when they were in the field.

"I will. But first we need to help the people who need medical attention a lot more than me." Liara opened her mouth to say something, but Shepard interrupted her.

"Round up the wounded, bring them back here. We can make a makeshift clinic until we can get the onsite medical centre up and running again." Liara hesitated for a moment, then turned round and moved towards a couple of wounded colonists. Shepard turned to look at Doctor Carter, who was already helping another elderly gentlemen with a nasty gash on his leg. The doctor moved her gaze to meet the solders, a knowing look in her eye. Shepard sighed, then turned to help Liara.

* * *

A few hours had passed, the sun had risen and the fires had died down to nothing but glowing embers. Shepard scanned the colony, it had definitely looked worse under the cover of night. There had not been many casualties, most of the colonists had gotten away with minor injuries. Although, some had perished in the fighting. When the sun had come up, the Spectre had attempted to comfort a grieving husband, the body of his wife had been found under the rubble, a large black hole in her chest. Two young boys no older then sixteen had also died in the attack, their mother mourned them on her knees, holding their limp hands in her own.

Shepard sighed, rubbing her shoulder.

"Commander." She turned to whoever called to her, spying a tall women with think round glasses.

"Yes?"

"The medical clinic is up and running, we were able to salvage most of the supplies that we had, we have taken care of the people that were badly wounded and the colony is mostly back to normal, and we…" The women stopped mid-sentence, her words cut off by trembling lips. Shepard was worried she would start crying. "If you had not come…when you did. Things would have been a lot worse. Thank you commander."

Shepard smiled and nodded. "Just doing my job."

The women smiled back at her, her weathered face wrinkling ever so slightly as she looked down at Shepard's shoulder.

"You should really get that looked at Commander." Selena followed her gaze and cringed, only now noticing the sticky substance that seeped through her armour.

"I will. Thank you."

She had been trying to avoid going to the clinic, trying to avoid seeing the same ghost that she saw the night before. The pain in her shoulder intensified as she made her way towards the small medical centre, her heart ponding in her chest.

When she arrived at the clinic, there was only one other person there. Dark shoulder length hair tied up in a tight bun and lab coat hugging a curvy frame. Shepard stopped short of going in, considering walking back the way she came and forgetting about fixing her shoulder. As she turned to leave, Doctor Alex Carter's voice called to her.

"You are not going anywhere, with you shoulder like that. Get on the bed and take your armour off. I will fix you up."

Shepard sighed, but did as she was told. Struggling to pry her armour from her arm, she was momentarily shocked when two small hands helped her with the clasps just under her armpit, the black armour sliding from her arm and on to the floor.

The doctor wasted no time getting to work, smooth fingers pulling down the thin strap of Shepard's top to get a better look at the angry wound on her shoulder. She was silent as she expertly washed the dirt and grime from the inflamed red injury that punctured the commander's skin, her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked. Shepard watched her intensely, her body rigid and hot from the young doctors touch.

"Stop that." The doctor suddenly said. The Commander narrowed her eyes.

"Stop what?"

"That. That thing you do!"

"What thing?"

"That thing with your eyes. You stare at someone with those piercing green eyes of yours, making everything seem like it's going to be OK" Alex answered, her hands pressing down harder on Shepard's wounded shoulder. The Commander winced as the doctor continued her rant. "You run in to trouble without a second thought, without a thought of who you are leaving behind to worry about you!" The doctor stopped working, turning her back on Shepard and sighing loudly. For a moment, the medical clinic was silent, nothing but the hum of machines interrupting an otherwise quiet atmosphere. Shepard felt a pang of guilt in her chest.

"I'm sorry." Shepard broke the silence. The doctor turned, her tear stained face suddenly turning angry.

"You're sorry… I don't see you in 15 years, and all you can say, is your sorry!"

Shepard looked down to the floor, tears threatening to fall from her own eyes. She looked up at the doctor, a million feelings swimming around in her chest all at once. A hundred memories good and bad rising to the surface.

"I thought you were dead Alex."

It was then the floodgates broke, tears streamed down the doctor's face as she embraced Shepard as tightly as she could, relaxing into the marine's chest as strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

"I missed you so much!" She cried, pulling away and looking up at the women that still sat on the bed, their lips centimetres apart. Alex slowly inched forward, her eyes closing as she inched closer to the commander. She closed her eyes her lips brushing Selena gently. Sheppard turned her head away.

"Alex...I" Someone clearing their throat by the doorway made them jump, Alex turned sharply towards it.

The tall women that she had spoken to earlier stood by the door, a data pad held in her hands as she stood awkwardly by the open door.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, her eyes darting between the two women in front of her. Shepard cleared her throat answering quickly.

"No. You're not. " She did not miss the look that Alex threw behind her shoulder, her eyes moving down to the floor to avoid the young doctors gaze. Alex cleared her throat.

"What is it?" Alex asked, moving towards the older women near the door.

"We have a problem…the samples are missing." She whispered, making sure Shepard, did not overhear.

"What are you talking about…which samples?"

"The Medi-gel enhancements. They have been taken, along with all the research."

"How is that possible? The labs were locked down."

"They used an access code. It must have been an inside job. I told you we could not trust those people!"

"What people?" Shepard's voice startled the two doctors and they jumped and turned towards her, the marine had wrapped her shoulder in crisp white bandages and had somehow appeared behind the two doctors, her brow furrowed in suspicion. The young women exchanged looks.

"We have been working on special enhancements for medi-gel. We had a breakthrough when we managed to enhance the effectiveness of medi-gel on the human body by 90%. Essentially, making it possible to tailor the gel to human physiology to aid in self-healing and… " Alex stopped short of finished her sentence, her gaze moving to the floor

"And what?" Shepard asked, her eyes narrowing. Her suspicion growing.

"There were complications. The test subjects become stronger, smarter they could self-heal within seconds, better than a any Vorcha could…but they lost their minds, they become violent, insane even. We wanted to pull the plug…but they would not let us."

Shepard could feel her patience dwindling quickly, she clenched her jaw before she spoke again."

"Who would not let you? Who were you working with Alex?"

Alex bit her lip, her eyes trying to find anything to focus on other than the Commander that now stood much too close to her, her emerald green eyes hard and accusing. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Cerberus."

* * *

 **Admit it. You all saw that coming. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, in case you have not noticed, Doctor Carter and Shep have a history. Hehehe. More will become clear in the next chapters, things will be getting a lot more violent and adult.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be up lunchtime tomorrow.**

 **Leave a review and you all get virtual cookies. :)**


	4. Memories

**I wrote this chapter pretty quickly but I loved it so much and I wanted to share it with you guys. I hope you enjoy it, the next chapter is going to have a lot more action and excitement in it, so make sure to keep reading!**

 **Please read and review.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Memories**

 _She watched the stars quietly, staring up towards the twinkling lights that hung above the small colony she called home. A smile crossed her freckled face as she felt soft fingers entwine with her own, gentle kisses placed on her almost bare shoulders._

 _"Have you ever wondered what's up there?" Selena asked the woman that lay on the grass beside her, turning her head lazily towards the pale skinned girl that stared at her with dark brown eyes._

 _"Not really." She giggled, Selena sighed heavily._

 _"Not even a little. You really want to spend the rest of your life in the same place. A quiet, uneventful life studying plants and medicine?"_

 _Alex shrugged. "I like studying plants and I like the quiet." The woman smiled widely, turning to lay on her side, her elbow digging into the soft dirt below her as she rested her head on her open palm. Selena Shepard shook her head, then turned her gaze back towards the stars._

 _"I don't."_

 _"That is probably why my mother does not like you very much. She says you are a bad influence." Alex giggled again, a sweet sound that made Selena's heart flutter. She turned to the younger woman, her mouth open in disbelieve._

 _"I am not a bad influence." She started, feeling somewhat hurt. "Your mother is just boring." Sheppard replied, a small smile parting her lips as she stared up at the night sky once more. "I want to go on adventures, I want to go way up there, meet new interesting species, explore dangerous exotic planets and save people from bad guys!" Alex watched as excitement played across Shepard's features, her young face seeming to light up as she spoke. The younger woman shook her head._

 _"You watch too many vids."_

 _Selena grinned, her white teeth almost showing behind the lopsided movement of her lips. She tore her gaze away from the stars to look at Alex, gazing at her lovingly as she spoke._

 _"Would you come with me? If I did go?"_

 _Alex smiled back at her, but said nothing, instead closing the space between them as she pressed her lips to Selena's._

Sheppard smiled sadly at the memory, a strange fluttering in her chest making her shiver. She wrapped long slender fingers around the coffee cup that contained the now cold brown liquid, sighing loudly as she stared out the large windows of observation deck.

Her shoulder ached, a dull throbbing making her skin hot and itchy. When she had arrived back on the Normandy, Liara had dragged her to the med-bay, resulting in a long lecture from Doctor Chukwas about staying focused in the battlefield, her stern voice laced with concern as she finished cleaning the angry red wound that was slightly charred around the edges. If the stab wound had been any higher, the blade would have pierced the Axillary artery. Shepard was silent as the doctor spoke to her, scolding her much like a mother would her child. Doctor Karin Chukwas was one of the few people that knew about the commanders past, and there was no one Shepard trusted more to patch her up when she was injured.

The soft hiss of the door made her look behind her, a warm feeling suddenly settling in her chest as Liara walked in. Her bare feet soundlessly beating against the cold metal of the ship.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to." She said, taking a seat next to Selena. "I missed you at dinner."

"Yeah, sorry." Selena replied, placing a hand on Liara's leg and smiling tightly. "I was in a vid conference with Hackett. It took a little longer then I expected to explain everything that went down on the colony."

Liara nodded, her lips thinning and brow furrowing as she thought to herself.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

The question brought Liara out of her quiet musings.

"Excuse me?" She asked, confused. Sheppard chuckled.

"Penny for your thoughts, it's an old human expression. It means what are you thinking?"

"You humans have the strangest sayings for things." The Asari said innocently. "But I did want to ask you something." The young maiden turned to her lover with worry filled eyes. Shepard leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her soft blue jawline.

"You know you can ask me anything Liara." Sheppard said, staring into the Asari's bright blue eyes.

"What was your relationship with that woman?" Shepard's eyes dropped at the question, her hands clenching in her lap. She sighed and looked away from her mate, biting her lip. "I saw the way you looked at her…and the way she looked at you."

"That is a…difficult question Liara." Shepard stood, walking to the large bay window that looked out into space. She leaned on the windows metal frame, resting her head on the cook of her elbow. "We were together…back on Mindoir. We grew up with each other. She was studying to become a doctor. Following in her parents footsteps" Shepard's voice sounded distant as she spoke, her eyes unblinking as she stared out into the black abyss.

"Did you love her?" Liara asked. Shepard was silent for a moment, then she nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah. I did."

There was another long silence.

"Do you still love her?"

Shepard turned, her eyes slanting angrily at the question.

"How could you ask me that Liara? After everything we have been through. I love you and only you! Do you think I am going to leave you for some old girlfriend? After everything!"

Shepard hardly ever raised her voice, especially when it came to Liara, but in her sleep deprived state, she found it hard to keep control of her emotions. She saw a flash of fear in her lovers eyes as the coffee mug she held in her hand flew across the room, smashing against the wall with a loud clatter. Shepard looked between the mess of glass on the floor, to Liara and sighed, falling back towards the window and sliding down the glass, pushing her forefinger and thumb into closed tired eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper."

She felt small hands wrap around her torso as Liara embraced her, the Asari's chin resting on the commanders uninjured shoulder, holding her tight.

"All this time I thought she was dead. I thought she was killed in the attack all those years ago. Then she turns up on some random colony…working for Cerberus!"

"We have defeated them before...we will defeat them again."

For a moment, they just sat there, the hum of the Normandy's engines purring through the silence of the observation room. Shepard rested her head on Liara's shoulder. A rare moment of weakness.

"What is it Garrus always says." Liara asked, a hint of humour in her voice. "Just like old times?" The Asari's voice changed ever so slightly in an attempt to mimic the Turians deep vibrating voice. Shepard could not help but laugh, a throaty chuckle that made Liara smile.

"That was awful."

"No half as awful as your dancing." Liara came back, only half joking. Shepard moved her head and let it rest against the window, turning her face to gaze at Liara, a boyish smile painting her features. A flush of purple made its way to warm Liara's cheeks.

"What?"

"I am so lucky to have you Liara…you know that?"

The Asari smiled, and their lips met.

* * *

 **A nice tender moment between the two lovers, before things get dark and sinister. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Looking forward to seeing what you think. :)**

 **Please read and review. :)**


	5. Sylar

**Here it is! Sorry it took longer than normal, I have been pretty busy writing some of my original stuff. Hope you enjoy the chapter, there is quite a lot going on. Some warnings for a few bad words but nothing much else.**

 **Thanks for the follows and favourites.**

 **Special thanks to RheasHelm for the lovely reviews!**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Sylar**

Selena Shepard finished her coffee in three large gulps, taking pleasure in the slight burning sensation as it slid down her throat. As the elevator descended towards the command room, she yawned loudly, another sleepless night making her eyes feel heavy.

As the door to the elevator doors swished open she was greeted by the kind face of her com-specialist.

"Morning Traynor." Shepard greeted, stepping out of the elevator and making her way towards her personal computer. Skimming through the mass of unimportant emails she only half listened to what her com-specialist was telling her, her brain still hazy from lack of sleep. She looked at her empty coffee cup and scrunched her nose.

"Do you have a status report on the ground team?" She asked. Traynor nodded enthusiastically, her dark hair falling across her face like think curtains. After the conversation she had, had with Alex, Shepard had sent a team to gather any important information the slave ship might have had, it was too much of a coincidence that slavers just happened to show up, right after a sleeper agent for Cerberus disappeared with information on how to create their very own super solders. The team consisted of a couple of techs, aided and protected by Williams's and the hulking Mr Vega. She would have gone herself, but she could not bring herself to step foot on that ship. She never wanted to see the inside of a slave ship. Not a second time.

"The last time they checked in, they had just finished gathering information from the slave ship. Lieutenant Williams said she found some interesting information."

Shepard nodded, snatching her coffee cup from beside her personal computer and turning towards the elevator.

"So is it really true…are Cerberus back in business?" The com-specialist asked, Shepard stopped short of stepping in to the metallic box, turning her head to look over her shoulder.

"If they are, we're just gonna have to blow them up again." She could hear Traynor's girlish giggle as she stepped into the elevator, the doors closing seconds after.

She needed another cup of coffee.

* * *

No more than an hour had passed before Ashley and Vega had arrived back on the Normandy, Doctor Alex Carter followed closely behind them. Shepard had greeted them with orders to meet her in the conference room.

When they had arrived in the conference room, most of the crew was already there. Garrus stood by the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned lazily on his shoulder and Shepard sat at the head of the table with Liara to the left of her.

Liara let her eyes follow Doctor Cater as she took a seat next to Shepard, she could not help the pang of jealousy that cut through her chest when Shepard offered the human a small smile.

"What did you get from the ship. Traynor said you had information I might be interested in?" Shepard said, directing her question towards Ashley.

The young woman nodded, handing her commander a data pad, before moving to the end of the table to take a seat.

"From what we can tell, Cerberus hired the slavers to attack the Colony." Vega said, his large muscled frame dwarfing Williams as he sat next to her.

"The inside of that ship was like something out of an old horror Vid. It looked like a scene from Alien or something."

Selena grinned slightly at the mention of her favourite earth vid, her eyes still reading the information the small team of techs had gathered from the slave ship. She skimmed the information for a few moments, before passing it to the Asari that sat next to her.

"But why would Cerberus would be working with slavers…Baterian salvers of all people. It does not make any sense." Alex asked, Ashley regarded her coldly, but nodded.

"Actually, it makes perfect sense." Liara stated as she looked up from the data pad she was studying. "Think about it. Cerberus uses the people of the colony to get what they want, they then take the data and send slavers to get rid of any lose ends. Then, when the alliance investigate the attack, they write it off as nothing but another unfortunate slaver attack. Cerberus get away without suspicion and they get new human test subjects."

Everyone in the room nodded in silent agreement, accusatory eyes moving towards the dark haired human that sat opposite Liara, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"I am just grateful that the slavers did not get the chance to take anyone." Alex expressed, turning her gaze towards the commander. She shifted slightly in her seat, covering Shepard's hand with her own. "If you had not come, I don't know what would have happened. We would probably be locked in prison cells by now. Nothing but experiments and test subjects." Selena could not help but tense at the contact, Alex's warm fingers making the commander's skin tingle.

"That is usually what happens when you work with Cerberus Doctor Carter." Liara said, her voice was tight and cold as she spoke to the woman opposite her. Shepard could see Alex's eyes narrow, her jaw tensing ever so slightly as she glared at the Asari.

"I was doing good work. I was helping the advancement of the human race." The human doctor argued, Liara sniggered. In all her time knowing her, Sheppard had never heard Liara snigger.

"Yes, because super soldiers with bad tempers are a perfect way to advance the human race." Shepard narrowed her eyes at the sarcasm that dripped from Liara's voice. The two doctors glared at each other across the table, a tense silence plaguing the room. Selena moved her gaze between the two doctors with wide eyes. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously clearing her throat.

"Right…did you find anything that could help is in that data pad Liara?" At the mention of her name, the Asari's eyes softened as she turned towards Shepard.

"Yes, I did. There were multiple mentions of a facility on a planet called Sylar."

"Sylar? Never heard of it." Garrus said, his mandibles twitching as he spoke.

"That is not surprising, it is a small uncharted planet on the edge of the Rosetta Nebula. The planet goes from extremely hot to temperatures that flash freeze everything in a little over an hour, making it uninhabitable at night."

Shepard nodded her head.

"So that's where we go. Williams, Garrus, Liara gear up. Doctor Carter you too, we are going to need you to come with us."

"What!?" Both Alex and Liara said at the same time, their heads turning sharply towards Shepard. Selena ignored their glares and stood from the table, starting towards the door.

"Williams, get Doctor Carter some armour. I want all three of you down in the shuttle bay in an hour."

Without another word, Commander Selena Shepard hurried from the room.

* * *

It did not take long to reach Sylar, an unimpressive dwarf planet that measured half the size of earth. In-fact, the only remarkable thing about it was its six blood red moons moons. As the shuttle descended towards the murky green surface, Shepard could not help but feel a tingle of unease run down her spine. Her brow furrowing in apprehension as she watched the screen survey their surroundings.

"Approaching the LZ, I will get you as close to the energy signature as I can Ma'am, but there is a little bit of a complication. You're not going to like it." Steve Cortez spoke to her through her earpiece.

"What is it?" She asked, moving to stand behind him.

"That energy signature that we picked up on our scans. It is not coming from the where we initially thought."

"Where is it coming from?" Shepard asked, her voice slightly distorted through her helmet. Steve typed some commands into his console, causing a map of the planet to appear on the window. The map showed a long tower like structure, a flashing red light appearing near the bottom.

"It is coming from five hundred feet below the planet's surface."

Shepard sighed, turning to her crew.

"Liara, what else can you tell us about this planet. Is there any more information you can find."

Liara shook her head.

"It is completely unknown, apart from the weather patterns, there is no information on this planet what's so ever. We do not know what we will find on the surface, let alone what we will discover when we actually find a way into the faculty."

"Approaching the LZ commander!"

Selena glanced at her crew, her eyes falling on the nervous human doctor that fiddled with her helmet. Shepard reached out, gently helping Alex with the clasps to her breathing gear.

"You have to pull the clasps tight, before you push them in. That way, they do not come lose." Alex nodded her head nervously, Shepard noticed her shuddering intake of breath, her hands slightly shaking in her lap.

"It's gonna be ok. You know I wouldn't ask you if I could help it. But we need your help." Shepard said, placing a comforting hand on Alex's leg. She looked up at Alex through the glowing eyes of her recon hood. "I won't let you get hurt. I promise."

"I know." Alex said, her voice seeming to calm slightly. "I will try and help anyway I can. I will leave all the shooting and action hero stuff to you however." She laughed anxiously, clearing her throat as the shuttle came to a sudden stop.

Shepard stood, turning towards the door and drawing the Valkyrie from her back. She did not notice the look Liara gave her, her blue eyes watching her through the tinted glass of her helmet.

"Everybody ready?"

A chorus of 'yes ma'am's!' met her ears through her radio.

"Stay focused, our objective is to find the facility and any information in contains."

The shuttle door opened slowly, sunlight flooding the inside the shuttle with a bright yellow glow. Shepard stepped out, her rifle pointed in front of her as she surveyed the strange plant life that surrounded them. Ashley and Garrus followed her out, covering her flank.

"Secure the perimeter." Shepard ordered, Ashley and Garrus did so without question.

"Clear!" Ashley's voice shouted through the radio, followed by Garrus's deep reverberating drawl.

Selena lowered her weapon, turning towards the shuttle as Liara stepped out, Alex following closely behind her.

"Liara, how far is the facility?"

"Not far from our current position, through the forest. Nightfall is in approximately seven hours away. I suggest getting off the surface before then." Liara's voice held a certain iciness as she spoke, her gaze never moving from her omni-tool.

"Good Idea. Steve stay here, we will be back soon. Keep in radio contact. We will check in every two hours." Shepard commanded, the pilot answered firmly.

"Yes Ma'am"

"Liara, Garrus with me, Ashley cover Carters flank, stay close. We don't know what's lurking out there." Shepard inspected the area in front of them, her eyes squinting through the darkness of strange looking trees and plant life. She scanned for any movement, apprehension ticking her spine. Just because this planet was uninhabitable by most species, did not mean that there was nothing watching them from the shadows. Evolution was a very strange thing.

"Move out!"

* * *

They had been walking for at least an hour, battling through the dense, think undergrowth that seemed to only get thinker as the ventured deeper in to the forest. Ashley could not help but stare at the strange brown trees that reached up towards the sky with sharp thin tendrils, a red liquid bleeding out from dark lesions on the branch. It reminded the young spectre a little of blood.

She tread carefully, her heavy metal boots digging into the soft soil beneath her. Ashley moved her gaze to the doctor that walked next to her, her body tensing as she stared suspiciously at the woman through her visor. She just couldn't understand why the doctor was here, it was reckless of Shepard to bring a civilian on an unknown mission, especially one that worked for Cerberus. She shifted her concentration back in front of her, still half looking at Alex from the corner of her eye.

"I thought you said that the facility was nearby Liara." Garru's voice seemed strange in the eerie silence of the forest. Ashley saw Liara activate her omni-tool.

"There is something that is disrupting the reading, but I am sure that it's right ahead." Liara answered the Turian. Sheppard chuckled.

"What's the matter Garrus. Getting soft in your old age?"

"Very funny Shepard. May I remind you, I am not the one that has started getting wrinkles." Garrus shot back in his typical fashion, Shepard scoffed.

"They are not wrinkles Vakarian, their…lines of distinction." Shepard seemed pleased with her answer, Garrus just laughed.

"Ah huh."

Ashley shook her head at the humours exchange. She heard Alex giggle quietly beside her.

"That does not make any sense." Liara quietly whispered to herself as she stopped walking, her head bowed as she scrutinised the information on her omni-tool. She looked around, stepping through the trees into a large red rocky clearing.

"What doesn't?" Shepard asked, turning to the Asari.

"It says we are right on top of the facility. But there is nothing here!"

Shepard glanced round, seeing only rock and trees.

"Cortez did say that the facility was underground. There has to be a door, or a hatch somewhere. Start looking."

The team broke off, surveying the area. A few minutes of searching resulted in nothing but the discovery of a strange furry beetle with ten legs. Ashley almost squealed when the thing crawled over her hand. She hated bugs.

"There is nothing here Shepard. Either this place doesn't exist, or the readings we have are wrong." Garrus said, stretching his shoulders and groaning. Shepard sighed.

"We did not come all this way just to find nothing. There must be something here. A control panel, a door, a big shiny button. Keep looking!"

Before Shepard was even finished her sentence, the ground began to shake, a low rumbling followed by a loud crack cutting her off from finishing her sentence. Liara and Alex were knocked off their feet, the shaking becoming worse by the second.

"Something tells me we should probably move!" Garrus sarcastic drawl met Shepard's ears as she struggled to stay on her feet.

"Good idea. Move it, get to cover!" She watched as her team retreated into the woods, turning on her heel to follow them.

The ground below Shepard gave way, the hard red rock splitting down the middle as the earth below her divided with lightning speed. Selena barely had time to react before she felt herself falling, her hands desperately trying to grab at something as her body was pulled down, painfully hitting the sides of jagged rocks before finely coming to an abrupt stop, her body hitting the floor with bone crushing force. If it wasn't for her helmet, she would have cracked her head wide open.

"Sheppard!" Liara's worry filled voice bounced off the walls, Shepard got to her feet shakily, pain running the entire length of her body as she took a few steps forward, moving her head slowly to take in her surroundings.

"I'm ok!" Selena shouted, barely able to hear her own voice as the rumble turned to a roar. In an instant, the noise stopped, the shaking ceased and all was quiet. She moved a hand protectively to her injured shoulder, rolling it in an exaggerated circular motion and cringing as she felt her muscles protest against the movement.

"I am definitely going to be feeling that in the morning." Activating her omni-tool the cavern around her was suddenly lit with a brilliant orange, the artificial light illuminating the dark walls, she squinted through the darkness, a large cylindrical tunnel stretching out in front of her. A white and orange light seeming appearing at the very end of the tunnel, growing bigger as it got closer. The rumbling started once more, getting louder as the light got closer. It was then Shepard realised what the tunnel she stood in was.

Her eyes grew wide, an intense heat warming her skin, even under her armour.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

She was in a fucking launch tunnel, and there was something very big coming right towards her.

* * *

 **I have read this about five times and I can not find any mistakes, but if you do find some, please point them out to me so I can fix them.**

 **I will be going away for a few days, so I will only be updating sometime next week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you thought. :)**

 **Many Thanks.**


	6. The great escape

**Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay, I have been super busy with University and writing some of my original stuff. I am happy to announce that I am half way though my first original novel!**

 **Anyway, this is a pretty short chapter, so I hope you enjoy. The next chapter will be up soon!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The great escape**

Commander Selena Shepard had only really panicked twice in her life time. The first was when her father had caught her smoking, the room to her bedroom opening before she could react, her father's eyes falling to his sheepish daughters hand as she froze mid drag. The second, was when she was spaced, forced to watch the Normandy's destruction around her, the air being pulled from her lungs as she fell towards her icy grave, her skin burning as she entered the atmosphere. But as she watched the hulking mass of metal fast approach her position, this would make the third.

She searched her surroundings franticly, scanning the area for anything that resembled an escape. The murky metal of the launch tube seeming to close in on her as her heart stared to beat faster in her chest. A flash of green caught her eye, a barely noticeable glow a few feet away from her causing her eyes to flicker to her left, she hesitated for only a second, her eyes moving to the glowing orange ball of fire that grew bigger with each passing breath. The heat was intense, burning her skin through her armour. She took a deep breath before starting towards it, coming to a sliding halt right in-front of the door, pressing the glowing green light that flicked in the middle. The light flashed, then promptly turned orange.

"Shit!" She shouted, she was getting sick of that happening. Activating her Omni-tool she extended her arms towards the door, the hiss and beeping of her device drowned out by the ever increasing roaring in the tunnel. She ignored the crackling in her radio, her heart beating faster as the wall of fire approached her. The door finally hissed open and Shepard fell through, hitting the floor with a painful thud. Before the heavy blast door could close properly, a wave of scorching orange and red rushed in through the gaps, Shepard barely had time to raise her barrier before the fire curled round the blue glowing dome like water. A few seconds passed, and the inferno was sucked out back through the door. Leaving only silence. Selena let her barrier down, the amp in the back of neck itching and burning her skin.

Her raised arm fell limply to the floor, her head soon following. She took three deep breaths, exhaling through her mouth. Her chest heaving as she tried to control the rapid beating of her heart.

"Fuck."

* * *

Liara stared up at the sky, her eyes wide with terror as she watched a large metallic missile shoot from the ground and into the sky. The explosion of fire it left in its wake knocking her and the rest of the team off their feet. She watched as the missile flew towards the greying clouds above them, disappearing from view within seconds.

"Oh my god." She heard the soft broken whisper of Alex beside her, the young human doctor staring into the large black hole Shepard had fallen down only movements before, the edges of the rock singed and burned from fire.

The Asari rushed to her feet, half crawling towards the deep hole that still billowed grey smoke, she squinted through the darkness, her hand moving to her ear.

"Shepard!" She yelled, as if saying her name loud enough would warrant a response. There was static on the other end. The Asari licked her lips fearfully, a cold feeling radiating from the base of her chest.

"Shepard, can you hear me? Are you ok?" a hand on her shoulder made her jump, three taloned fingers gently placed on her armour. "Selena!" Her voice broke slightly as she shouted through her radio a third time. Liara took a painful shuddering breath, looking up at Garrus with tearful eyes.

"I am sure she's fine Doc." Ashley said, doubt evident in her voice.

Garrus squeezed her shoulder tighter, a reassuring gesture that did nothing to calm Liara.

"Come on Liara, you and I both know Shepard would not let herself get taken out by a rocket. She is too stubborn to die." The Turians attempt at humour fell flat. Getting to her feet, the Asari turned to Ashley.

"We need to find a way into the facility. That is where Shepard would be heading. We should be able to follow the heat signatures left behind by the missile. That should lead us right to the facility." Liara looked down towards her omni-tool, then back at Ashley. "This way."

Ashley's frowned slightly at the Asari's frantic explanation, her gaze following the direction of Liara's extended arm. She nodded her head in agreement, her eyes flicking to the dark launch tunnel that had began to close.

"Ok, let's go."

* * *

To say that Alex Cater hated the heat, would have been an understatement. She absolutely despised the heat. She despised the way it made her clothes stick to her skin, she despised the way it made her itch in awkward places, but most of all, she despised the way it reminded her of home.

Mindoir had, had beautiful summers, the days had been pleasantly hot, and the nights had been cool. She could still remember the smell of the grass after a thunderstorm, or the sweet scent of the purple flowers that grew in the meadows. She could remember with painstaking detail the way she and Shepard would relax by the river, simply, content in each other's company.

She smiled sadly at the memories. Mindoir may have been rebuilt, but there was a certain malevolent atmosphere to it now, a sinister feeling that seemed to have seeped into the very soil along with the blood of the victims that perished in the attack.

She shifted uncomfortably in the heavy armour that weighed her down, the bulky shell that seemed to too big, making it hard for her to move quietly through the forest.

She sighed as a twig snapped under her heavy boot, a long thin branch seeming to appear from nowhere, slapping across the glass of her helmet and leaving murky red trails along her visor.

She was never one for adventure. She much preferred the safety of the labs, days spent sitting comfortably at a desk, coffee whenever she needed, food whenever she wanted and definitely, no chance of getting shot. She preferred reading about other people's adventures rather than having them herself, she had always held a deep respect for the fearless characters in her books, a trait that attracted her to Selena. The woman had been relentlessly adventurous, even all those years ago, she had always been more interested in trekking through the unexplored forests of Mindoir then learning about plants and medicine. Much to her patents dismay. Despite her situation, Alex found herself smiling, a warm feeling resting in her chest.

"Doc this isn't a midday stroll, step on it!"

Ashley's forceful voice made her jump. Alex sighed, quickening her pace and falling into to an awkward jog beside Garrus. She watched Liara look at her over her shoulder, rolling her eyes slightly before turning back to examine her omni-tool. Alex frowned at the aliens coldness towards her. Weren't Asari's supposed be nice?

"Is she always like that?" She asked Garrus, not really expecting him to answer, she was momentarily surprised when his deep voice met her ears.

"Liara?" He asked, his resonating tones holding a hint of humour. "She is…normally nice."

Alex scoffed. ""So it _is_ just me then?"

Garrus chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that was unexpectedly soothing.

"Thing about Liara is, she is pretty protective when it comes to Shepard. It's only gotten worse since the commander almost died a second time. If she dies again Liara is going to be pissed."

"Wait. Again?"

"Long story."

Alex thought for a moment, a million questions bouncing around in her head.

"So…" she asked, biting her lip. "Are they...close?"

Garrus laughed again, a sound that would have been infectious had it not been directed at her.

"You could say that Yeah."

A silence fell between them once more, nothing but her clumsy footstep's interrupting the quiet of the forest. She frowned at his words, contemplating the hidden meaning behind them.

* * *

 **I know that what happen is a little far fetched, I do not even know if launch tunnels have doors, but lets just say in 2185 they do. :) Next chapter will be up soon. If I have made any errors regarding spelling, grammar or codex / Mass Effect story Line please do point them out to me .**

 **Please leave a review.**

 **:)**


	7. Tall man

**Hey guys, this is the second posting for this chapter as I noticed a few silly mistakes. I think they are all fixed now and I am almost finished the next chapter. Please tell me what you think, I would really appreciate it.**

 **Please read and review.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: S** **pidey sense**

Selena Shepard had done some crazy things in her life. Things that most people would call darn right insane. She had taken on a Yahg in a fierce hand to hand battle, she had flown an asteroid into a mass relay, hell, she had even blown up a space station with her still inside, but as she silently made her way down the abandoned hallway of an unknown Cerberus base, filled with an unknown amount of enemies, devoted to an unknown, possibly homicidal cause, she could not help but think that this, was definitely in her top ten. Especially since she got in through an active launch tunnel.

As she managed to avoid yet another small patrol of guards Selena Shepard swallowed hard. The pristine white walls and clinical floors made her cringe, the harsh black and yellow Cerberus logo seeming to be painted on every wall, in fact, the base reminded her a lot of the Lazarus station; a memory that caused her to involuntarily shiver.

Pressing herself against the wall she peered round the corner, watching as two heavily clad troopers walked out from the open elevator, the harsh lighting seemed to make their white and gold armour glow with a cruel unnatural light. She held her breath, pressing herself into a alcove in the wall as they passed, when they were out of sight, she bolted for the elevator, her feet surprisingly light as her heavy boots hit the metal floor.

As the elevator doors closed, Selena could not help but feel a strange tingle of anticipation, a prickly feeling on the back of her neck making her hair stand up, alert, waiting and suspicious. She remembered getting this feeling when something bad was going to happen, she remembered having the feeling on Eden prime, she remembered having the feeling before the Normandy was destroyed and she definitely remembered having the feeling before the reapers had arrived on Earth. Ashley had normally referred to it her 'Spidey sense,' whatever that meant.

As the elevator ascended towards her unknown objective, Selena tried her radio again, one hand resting protectively over the hornet at her side, eyes focuses on the doors, ready for whatever was on the other side. The static of her radio made her growl in frustration. As the elevator came to a shuddering halt Selena pulled out her Valkyrie, the modified barrel pointed protectively in front of her. As the doors opened, she was once again greeted by a suspiciously empty hallway.

As she made her way down the brightly lit corridor, she was instantly assaulted by the stale stench of antiseptic, the unpleasant odour seeming to get worse as she neared the door at the end of the hallway. When the door opened without her doing anything, she was again overcome with a feeling of apprehension.

Slowly making her way into the room, her eyes focused on the prone figure of a man that lay on a medical chair, his wrists bound tightly by metal restraints. She surveyed the room before moving towards him. His body stiffened as she approached, eyes going wide as he turned to look at her. Shepard placed her rifle on her back, holding up her hands in a non-threatening gesture.

"It's okay. I'm not gonna to hurt you." She said softly, taking off her recon hood to reveal her face. The man visibly relaxed as she smiled down at him, a small smile tugged at his own lips, his pale completion seeming to brighten as she moved to his side. "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

He nodded franticly.

"Corporal Bentley Ma'am." He greeted, stuttering slightly as he spoke. "It's an honour to meet Commander."

Shepard offered the man another smile, moving towards the console that stood next to her. She searched for a way to release the restraints, reaching out two gloved fingers to type on the glowing keyboard. The console beeped, then went silent. Shepard frowned.

"You are in the Alliance?" she asked, only now noticing the black and white uniform that clung he wore. The man nodded proudly.

"Yes Ma'am, I joined a few years before the Reaper war, I was on the ground team when you activated the Crucible. Surrounded by those husk things. If it weren't for you…we would have been overrun."

Shepard nodded, passing her fingers over the keyboard once more, again she was met with an uncooperative beep. Shepard swore under her breath.

"Is everything alight Commander? Can you get me out of here?" The young Corporals voice quivered as he spoke. His eyes darting from Shepard to the console. Before Selena could answer, her attention was drawn to the door, the sudden interruption of muffled voices making her heart quicken.

"Shit!"

"What's happening? " Corporal Bentley started to panic, his large arms pulling against the metal restraints in a frantic attempt to escape. "Where are you going?"

"I need to get to cover. If I get captured, there will be no chance of us getting out of here. I will not leave you, I promise." She offered him another smile, then headed towards the end of the room, vaulting over a few crates and ducking behind them. A few seconds passed before she heard the hiss of the door, followed by the calm accented vocals of a man. Shepard peered over the top of her cover, squinting slightly at the three new occupants in the room. Two of them were doctors; that much she could tell, dressed in the thin white and black uniforms that clung to their frame like a second skin, the yellow Cerberus logo clearly presented on both biceps.

"Is the patient ready for treatment?" Shepard moved her gaze to the taller man that stood between the two doctors, a simple grey suit complementing his athletic frame. Shepard had to admit, the man was incredibly hansom, his raven coloured hair sat neatly on his head, cropped just above his ears, his pale skin held no hint of marks or scars, unless you counted the almost perfectly trimmed beard that curled around his chin and upper lip. The man's eyes shone with a brilliant blue, much like the illusive man's had and he held himself with a certain air of authority.

"Yes sir. We can begin the process on your order." One of the doctors answered.

"Do it."

Both doctors moved to Corporal Bentley's side, the elder of the two moving to the console beside the medical chair. She heard the young Corporal cry out, pain filled grunts accompanying the sound of struggling. She watched as the console began to glow, the medical chair seeming to come to life at the touch of a button. She held her breath as four snake like tubes slithered from the sides of the chair, sharp needles glinting on the ends like thin steel teeth as they moved to position themselves over the young man's body.

"Administering the serum." The younger doctor said, placing a small vial of orange liquid at the base of each tube. There was a distinctive hiss at the vials clicked into place, a s puff of white steam spitting out from the sides.

Shepard dared to move her gaze to Bentley face, her chest tightening as she saw his wide eyes fill with tears, sobs escaping his mouth as he struggled furiously against his metal bindings.

"Oh god. Please help me!" Shepard fought hard not to rise from her cover and gun the three operatives down, but she could not risk getting captured. All she could do was watch and wait

"Help me plea-!" The Corporals pleas were cut short as the snake like tubes suddenly dived towards him, the long needles plunging deep into his torso, his arms and his legs. His mouth was open in a silent scream as the orange liquid was quickly sucked from the vials, through the tubes and into his body. Selena covered her mouth with her gloved hand as the tubes slithered back to where they came from, watching in horror as the young man's body convulsed, then suddenly, become limp.

"Vitals?" The tall man asked suddenly, the calm tones of his voice infuriating the spectre that hid behind the crates. She clenched her fist and took a deep breath, stopping herself from doing anything rash.

"None..." The young doctor stated, looking at the medical screens at the end of the room.

"Good." The tall man said rather cheerfully, causing Shepard's anger to boil to the surface once more. The man opened his mouth to speak once again, his sentence cut off by the crackling of a radio.

"Sir, we have a situation on the lower floors." A harsh distorted voice sounded through the tall man's Omni tool. The man bit his lip as he looked between the prone body of the Corporal and the two doctors. He then typed something into the glowing device on his wrist, before turning towards the door.

"Leave him. We have matters to attend to." The tall man said. The two doctors nodded, leaving their 'patients' side and disappearing through the door. The tall man looked over his shoulder, Shepard could have sworn he was looking right at her. She squinted as he smiled smugly, stepping out of the room and letting the door close behind him.

As soon as they were gone, Shepard was at the Corporals side.

"Corporal" she whispered, placing two slender fingers against the man's neck, when she felt no pulse, her shoulders sagged.

"Dammit" She whispered to herself, clenching her jaw and bowing her head. Undoing the young solders top button, she reached for his dog tags, carefully removing them from around his neck. She clutched them in her hand tightly, sighing.

"I'm sorry Corporal."

Moving towards the control console, she removed the Corporal's restraints, hearing an echoing click as the metal bindings were forced apart. Activating her Omni-tool she waved her arm across the beeping console, the orange glow on her arm seeming to hypnotise her as she downloaded the information it still contained.

She shifted impatiently, watching as the data scrolled across the screen. She did not hear the shuffling of footsteps behind her, until two strong arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her chest, pulling her off her feet and squeezing tightly. She instantly felt the air rush from her lungs, her ribs screaming in protest as the arms continued to crush them. She grit her teeth and slammed her head back, feeling the back of her skull connect with something soft. She was momentarily stunned when she was thrown across the room, her body flying through the air and hitting the wall with a painful thud. She quickly rolled to her feet, pulling the Valkyrie from her back and pointing it towards her attacker, the rifle was instantly knocked from her hands, clashing to the floor at the same time a powerful hand wrapped itself around her throat. She clawed at the hand that seemed to have welded itself to her throat, her feet dangling mere centimetres from the floor. Her vision began to blur, the grey pale eyes of Corporal Bentley staring into her own as his hands tightened around her neck.

Selena reached for the hornet by her side, placing the barrel to Bentley's chest and pulling the trigger. The man jolted back, letting the Commander fall to her knees. Selena's hand instantly moved to rub her throat, coughing violently as she looked up through blurry eyes. Bentley towered over her, looking down at the holes that now scattered his chest. Selena's eyes widened in shock as the wounds seemed to sew themselves together. The damaged skin healing before her very eyes. Bentley looked up, glaring at her through dark untidy eyebrows.

"What the fu-" She was cut off once again as Bentley rushed forward, grabbing her by the neck and flinging her against the medical table. There was a loud clatter as her weapon was knocked from her grasp. She struggled against him, his vice like grip holding her in place effortlessly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the long black tube snake once again from its resting placing, gliding to a halt right above her face, her eyes darted from the solider to the device, her breathing becoming laboured.

"Corporal, you…" She tried, her vision already beginning to darken as Bentley hands squeezed tighter. She was not sure how to finish her sentence. She pried at his hands in a feeble attempt to escape, her eyes never moving from the needle that hovered just above her face.

The sudden burst of gunfire made her jump, her eyes moving to the door where her four companions stood. When the first few shots met their target, the Corporals hands loosened considerably, allowing Shepherd to push him away. Again the man's wounds began to heal, activating her Omni-blade Shepard surged forward, slicing the young soldiers head clear off his shoulders. The man fell to his knees, then to the floor, his head hitting the ground with a dull thud. Shepard took three large breaths, coughing once again.

"Shepard!" She heard a familiar voice call her name as she struggled to her feet, almost falling to the floor once more as Liara wrapped her arms around her neck, tightly embracing her.

"That the goddess, you're alive!" the Asari said, before looking up at Shepard with a scornful expression. "Don't ever do that again."

Shepard smirked mischievously, rubbing her neck.

"I did not exactly plan to fall into a launch tunnel Liara. But now that I have a taste for it…" She left the sentence unfinished, taking joy in the horrified expression that played across her lovers features. She looked down at the lifeless body of Corporal Bentley then sighed, a sudden heavy feeling in her chest.

"Did you manage to get any information Ma'am?" Ashley said from the door way, her attention focused for the arrival of any more troopers. Shepard shrugged.

"I managed to get whatever was on that console." She said as she continued to rub her throat. She could already feel the skin of her neck starting to bruise. She turned to the young doctor that was bent over the Corporals body, Alex's brow furrowed in concentration as she examined the partially healed wounds on his chest.

"Alex, can you suggest anything that will help us find out what Cerberus is doing with your research?" Shepard asked, her voice slightly hoarse. The dark haired women shook her head.

"All the information they have on the experiments would be on that console." She pointed a long finger to the console beside the medical chair, the snake like tube had retreated back to its compartment once more. "I could also take a sample of this man's blood. We could test it in the Normandy's medical bay. See if you can find me a needle please Shepard"

Shepard nodded, moving towards the desk that stood beside the medical chair. She grabbed one of the many syringes in the drawer and passed it to Alex, moving away to pick up her scattered weapons.

"Work quickly we have to get out of here before reinforcements arrive."

Shepard moved towards the door beside Ashley, pointing her rifle out into the corridor. She still could not shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She decided to push the feeling to the back of her mind, instead, focusing on the empty corridor in front of her.

Today had been a long day.

* * *

 **Shepard does have a little bit of a potty-mouth. I have noticed she has been swearing in every chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoyed. Please tell me if I have made any major spelling, grammar mistakes. The next chapter will be up soon.**

 **Please leave a review.**

Please Read and Review!


	8. When I go to the stars?

**Here is the next chapter, hope you all enjoy it. I will try get chapter 9 up before Sunday, but I am going to Italy with a few of my house mates next week, so I might not post it until I get back.**

 **Please Read and Review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 : When I go to the stars.**

Doctor Chakwas shook her head in annoyance as she investigated her Commanding officers neck, five horizontal bruises marking the woman's tanned skin with a dark purple tinge. With the Commanders chin held gently between three fingers, the doctor turned her head from side to side, investigating the blackening bruises with a scowl.

"I am starting to think that you like it in the Med-bay Commander." She said as she moved to her desk, keying some information into the data pad in her hand. Shepard looked sheepishly at the doctor through dark lashes. Sliding off the bed and rolling her neck, she smiled when she heard a satisfying click.

"What can I say doc, I just love your company." Shepard said, flashing a charming smile towards the doctor as she moved to the elder woman's side. Karin raised an eyebrow, pursing her lips.

"And I enjoy yours, I would enjoy it more however if it did not end with me cleaning your blood off my hands."

Shepard shrugged her shoulders, an action that reminded Karin of a moody teenager.

"There was no blood this time." The Commander said, unconsciously rubbing her neck. Karin turned, her eyes narrowing at Selena's words.

"This time?"

Shepard merely chuckled, starting towards the door as she slipped her N7 jacket over her shoulders, zipping it up to just below her breasts.

"Thanks Doc!"

Karin could not help but smile as she watched the Commander disappear through the door. Her eyes following the marine as she made her way towards the table outside her window. Her crew sat patiently waiting for her. It always amazed Karin how far Shepard had come, from a colonist that didn't even know how to shoot a gun, to the most well-known and respected solider in the galaxy. A fact that made Karin extremely proud. She watched as the woman took a seat at the head of the table, her playful expression suddenly replaced by a professional mask of authority.

Karin smiled once more, before returning to her reports.

"What have we got?" Shepard asked, silently nodding her thanks to Liara as the Asari placed a cup of coffee in front of her.

"I have managed to find a few names of the slavers Cerberus was working with. A few of them stand out as very important figures in the slave trade." Liara said, taking a seat beside her bond-mate. "Although, without Glyph, I have had to sift through all the information myself. It is…time consuming."

Shepard nodded sadly, her thoughts momentarily shifting to the pleasant little info-drone, then to EDI. A pang of guilt cut through her chest like a knife.

"Keep working on it. I'll ask Traynor to help you." Shepard said, reaching for her coffee cup.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Somethings been bugging me" Ashley said from the far end of the table, her brow furrowing to create three faint lines across her forehead.

"What's that?" Shepard asked, taking a two large sips of her coffee, she stared at the younger woman over the rim of the glass, her deep green eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"When we entered the base, we met almost no resistance. The place was practically empty. Apart from a few troopers."

Shepard nodded in understanding, remembering how easy it was to sneak through the base. Placing her now empty coffee mug on the table she leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands behind her head.

"I know what you mean. Apart from the whole rocket incident, I got through that base no problem. Nothing but a few troopers on patrol. Come to think of it, the only doctors that I saw were the ones with that man."

"What man?" Liara asked beside her.

"I didn't get his name. But he seemed to be calling the shots. Reminded me a lot of the Illusive Man actually. He was there when they administered the serum to Bentley. I could have sworn he looked right at me. Like he knew I was there."

"What about the guy that attacked you. How does he fit into all of this?" Garrus questioned. Shepard's chest tightened. Her thoughts returning to the young solider she had promised to save. A promise she had broken.

"Corporal Bentley. He was an experiment, a test subject. The bastards injected him with some sort of serum, I'm guessing the Medi-gel enhancements they were working on with Doctor Carter." Shepard's voice softened as she said the other woman's name, although it still held a hint of disappointment. "Whatever they gave him, killed him."

The room was silent for a while, Alex shifted in her seat. An action that did not go unnoticed by the Asari opposite her.

"He didn't seem that dead when he had you pinned down to that chair Ma'am." Ashley put forward, leaning forward on her elbows as she spoke. Selena nodded, moving her right hand to rub her tired eyes.

"You see, that's just it. He was dead. I felt for a pulse…he didn't have one. I turned my back for a minute and suddenly, he's throwing me around the room like I am nothing but rag doll. It's like he didn't even remember who I was." Shepard paused for a moment, biting her lip thoughtfully. "No, he was dead. I'm sure of it." Alex shifted in her seat once more.

"Perhaps Doctor Cater can explain." Liara suddenly said, her voice thick with venom as she spoke the woman's name. All eyes turned towards the raven haired doctor, silently waiting for an explanation. Alex swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"It was one of the side effects of the experimental formula. Subjects experienced seizures and then eventually death. A few hours or sometimes days later, they would come back to life."

"Hours? Days?" Shepard repeated, deep lines marking her forehead. "Corporal Bentley came back within minutes?"

"Perhaps Cerberus has found a way to speed up the reanimation process." Alex explained, turning to face the Commander, however, her gaze did not quiet meet the other woman's.

"Whoa, stop right there. Are you saying they are like, Zombies or something?" James Vega leaned forward in his seat, his large arms coming to rest on the table with a dull thud. Alex laughed faintly, shaking her head.

"No Mr Vega, _'Zombies'_ are undead, these people were very much alive. You would not be able to tell the difference between them and us. Although they were Stronger, smarter, faster. However, it wold be like, their brains had been wiped clean. They would remember nothing about themselves, or their lives prior to waking up again…then they started to become violent, murderous even."

"And you continued these experiments, even after all of this happened?" Ashley asked, her voice laced with mistrust. Alex's jaw tightened. A cold expression morphing her features.

"I have devoted my life to this project. Ten years of research went into the development of the improved formula. If we could have just gotten it to work. It could save countless lives."

"Human lives?" Garrus asked, his deep tones echoing with mistrust. The room was silent. Alex glared across the table toward the Turian, her mouth open slightly, her eyebrows slanted towards her nose.

"At first yes." She said calmly, her voice a harsh whisper. "The formula would have to be tailored towards each species anatomy. Being Human, my species took priority."

The young doctor's words caused yet another tense silence. Shepard felt her chest tighten once more, Alex's words playing in her head and making her bite the inside of her cheek. Selena took a deep breath before breaking the silence.

"Doctor Carter." She said formally, pushing back the lump in her throat. "I want you to join Doctor Chakwas in the med bay to thoroughly examine the data we retrieved from the base. You are to have an escort with you at all times."

Shepard pushed herself from her chair and into a standing position.

"Selena." Alex argued, Shepard turned sharply before she could say anything else.

"This is not up for debate Doctor." Shepard said harshly, her eyes flashing with anger and disappointment. "And it's Commander."

Shepard turned, trying to ignore the hurtful expression that crossed Alex's features. As she made her way towards the elevator she suddenly stopped, looking over her shoulder.

"Dismissed."

* * *

The moment Shepard reached her quarters, she let out a frustrated growl, her fist slamming into the first flat surface she could find. The sound her hand made as it hit the wall beside her was a cross between a thud and a crack, the noise echoing slightly through her empty cabin. As she pulled her hand away, she let out yet another growl, the sight of her own blood doing nothing to calm her down.

 _How could she be so callous, so blind!_

Shepard thought, wrestling her jacket from her shoulder and throwing it towards the bed.

 _How could she work with Cerberus? After everything they have done. How could she willingly work with a known terrorist organisation?_

A small voice in her head said

 _Isn't that exactly what you did?_

Another voice answered, calm and calculating. Shepard sighed, looking down at her bleeding hand.

 _No. I didn't work for Cerberus. They worked for me. I did it to save the galaxy, to help people._ The first voice answered back, angry and hurt.

 _So did she._ The second voice said, causing Shepard to rub her temples. Maybe she had been too hard on Alex. After all, she _was_ just trying to help. Moving towards the bathroom Selena turned on the shower, stripping out of her clothes and stepping into the warm cascading water, closing her eyes and letting it run down her skin. Her thoughts moved to Alex once more, a tingling sensation at the back of her mind bringing back a 'fond' memory.

 _She gazed at the raven haired girl with a smile, taking a tool from the box and placing it on the work bench. Alex had her nose in a book, like always, sitting on the table at the end of the small workshop, her legs crossed; eyes, focused on whatever she was reading._

 _Selena turned towards the work bench, picking up the engine part she was trying to fix and inspecting it. She much preferred working with her hands then reading books all day. She just did not have any interest in science or Botany, a field both her parents kept trying to push her in to. Maybe they just wanted her to follow in their footsteps, but she saw no point in doing something she had no passion for._

 _Selena placed the engine part back down on the desk, slightly twisting a small screw with the tool she held in her other hand. She was momentarily shocked when she twisted the screw too far, causing a jet stream of oil to jump towards her face. She heard Alex giggle behind her, sliding off the desk to stretch her legs._

 _Shepard looked at her with a lopsided grin, a black smudge of oil on her nose. Placing the tool back on the workbench, Selena moved towards her, running a hand through her messy red hair._

 _"So, have you thought about our little chat?" Selena asked, leaning forward and placing two hands on the table behind Alex. Trapping her. Alex shivered as Selena pressed her body against hers, a mischievous smile on her lips._

 _"What little chat?" Alex asked, her breath catching in her throat as the red head gently nipped her ear. Alex moved her eyes to the door, afraid someone might walk in and catch them._

 _"You know exactly what chat I mean." Selena said, trailing light kisses along Alex's neck._

 _"When I go to the stars. Will you come with me?"_

 _Alex giggled, placing her hands on Selena's hips._

 _"Selena you are relentless."_

 _She felt the young red head smile against her skin, Selena's breath hot against her skin, sending pleasant shivers down her spine._

 _"It's part of my charm" Selena whispered, fixing Alex with a lazy smile. "So what do you say?" She asked, her bright green eyes gazing at her through long dark lashes._

 _"Okay" Alex said suddenly, her hands tightening around Shepard's waist. "If you make it to the stars. I'll come with you."_

 _Selena's smile grew, resembling the innocent beam of a child who just found a puppy in her Christmas stocking. Pulling Alex into a passionate kiss, the red heads hands cupped the younger girls face gently, pressing her body against her even more. It lasted only a few moments before Shepard suddenly pulled away, rushing back to the workstation, her back turned to the dark haired woman. For a second, Alex felt a sudden rush of cold air prickle her skin, wondering what had made the woman pull away from her so abruptly. She was about to ask what the problem was, but was interrupted by a deep voice calling her name._

 _"Ah, Alex, there you are." Her father greeted, stepping into the small garage through the now open door. "I have been looking everywhere for you. Dinner is ready. Wash up and come eat."_

 _Alex picked up her books, holding them close to her chest._

 _"Yes father." She said, giving Selena a worried smile before leaving through the door._

 _"Shepard." Her father greeted, looking at the young girl with a distasteful expression. Selena offered him a tight smile. Looking up from the engine part in her hands._

 _"Mr Carter Sir."_

 _"I would assume your parents would want you home for dinner also."_

 _"Yes sir. I just need to finish cleaning this engine part. Then I'll be on my way." Selena explained._

 _"You do that." The man said, taking three large steps towards her, Selena watched him out of the corner of her eye, tensing slightly as he came to stand next to her. He ran two fingers along the work surface, cringing as they came back black._

 _"In the future Shepard, keep my daughter away from your little projects. I don't want you corrupting her any more then you already have."_

 _Mr Carter glanced around the tiny room with disdain._

 _"You might enjoy this little rebellious phase you seem to be stuck in, but do not bring my daughter down with you." He wiped his dirty fingers on Shepard's sleeve, leaning closer._

 _"You. Belong. Here." He said slowly. "In this dirty workshop. Fixing engine parts. My daughter, belongs in the labs, taking part in the advancement of the human race."_

 _Shepard bit the inside of her cheek, her right hand flaring slightly with a pale blue._

 _"The only thing you are good for, is fixing the machine your betters use."_

 _Selena bit her cheek harder, tasting blood._

 _"Remember that." Mr Carter whispered, his lips almost brushing her ear. As the man turned to the door, he continued his lecture, Selena cleaned her fist, trying desperately to control the biotics that threatened to tear the man apart._

 _"It's a shame really. Your parents are exceptional scientists. Fantastic minds." He turned back to look at her, eyes looking her up and down in an unimpressed fashion. "I guess that trait doesn't run in the family."_

 _Mr Carter turned towards the door again, chucking slightly._

 _"Oh well. I guess someone has to fix the coffee machine."_

Shepard let a small smile tug at her lips, mixed feelings of absolute happiness mixed with absolute hate, made her chest ache. The moment Alex had said yes to her question, Shepard had felt happier than she ever felt possible, then Alex's father had to go and ruin it all by being a grade A ass.

The Commander sighed as she turned the shower off. She seemed to have calmed down considerably. Slipping in to a tank top and lose fitting trousers, she let herself fall to the bed, her head hitting the pillow with a soft thump. She closed her eyes for just a second, letting sleep take her.

* * *

 **Hope you liked the chapter, I will try and get the next one up before I go backpacking.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Please leave a review, tell me what you think. :)**


	9. Tender moments

**This is going to be the last chapter for the next two weeks, since I am going on backpacking. I will make it up you you when I get back :)**

 **Hope you like this chapter, I know its pretty short, but I wanted to write a short tender moment between Shep and Liara.**

 **Please Leave a review and tell me what you think, I could really use some some feedback.**

 **Huge thanks to _RheasHelm_ for being my most Avid (and only) reviewer hehehe.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 : Tender moments**

She awoke to someone playing with her hair, soft, gentle digits running through damp red locks, occasionally brushing her ear as they trailed down the side of her head. Selena opened her eyes slowly, her deep green pupils dilating slightly against the dim light of her cabin. She shifted, pulling the soft blanket closer to her chin.

"Feeling better?" A soft voice asked her, the familiar tones causing her to relax her tense shoulders. Shepard nodded into the pillow she rested against.

"How long have I been asleep?" Selena asked, looking up at the Asari that lay next to her, her hand still playing with Selena's hair. Red locks curled round blue fingers as Liara leaned forward, placing a tender kiss on Shepard's head.

"A couple of hours. I thought I would let you rest. You definitely needed it."

Shepard nodded lazily, her eyes closing again, she shifted closer to her bond-mate, placing her head on the Asari's lap. Liara's hand instinctively wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"Samantha has been a great help in assisting me with the data. She managed to decrypt several files that lead to the locations of many Cerberus bases, we have sent the information to Admiral Hackett."

Shepard nodded sluggishly, stretching her aching limbs.

"Anything we can use?"

"The data keeps mentioning a Baterian by the name of Grokira Daral. He is a prolific slave trader and he is connected to over two hundred terrorist attacks on human colonies, including two attempted attacks on earth. Some of my agents are already looking for him." Liara explained, her eyes scanning the data pad she held in her hand.

Shepard mealy nodded, sighing loudly as she moved towards the side of the bed, pulling herself into a sitting position she rested her elbows on her knees. Her shoulders slumped slightly as she rubbed her eyes, the pale scars on her back glistening faintly in the blue light of the cabin.

Liara watched her from where she sat, large blue eyes filled with worry. Shepard had not been the same since the war had ended, since they had pulled her from the rubble that crushed her beautiful body, since she had woken from the coma that consumed her for almost three months, since she finally learnt to walk on the regrown prosthetic of her left leg.

She had become increasingly withdrawn in the last three years, she smiled less, lost her temper more and her eyes, although still brilliantly green, had lost a lot of the fire the young maiden had fallen for.

Liara reached towards her lover, placing a cool hand on Shepard's hot back. The human tensed slightly at the sudden contact, then relaxed. Inching closer Liara let the data pad drop to the floor, wrapping her other arm around Selena's waist.

"What's going on in that head of yours Shepard?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. Shepard turned to her, resting her head silently against her bond-mates. Shepard opened her mouth, gazing thoughtfully at Liara. She was about to speak, when a familiar voice sounded over the intercom.

"Commander, you got an encrypted call incoming. Marked important."

Shepard stood, sighing slightly. Liara let her hands fall to the cold bedsheets below, her eyes falling.

 _When would the human ever open up to her?_

"Patch it through to my cabin Joker." Shepard said, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Right away Commander."

Shepard forced herself to stand upright as a fuzzy image appeared on the screen, a familiar face greeting her behind the unclear pixels of the video feed

 _"Shepard, it's been a long time. You looked like crap."_

"It's nice to see you to Miranda."

 _"I have information that you might find interesting. Regarding a certain organisation we both used to work for."_

"You mean a certain origination that used to work for me?" Shepard said, her eyes narrowing slightly in anger. Miranda's expression did not falter, a small almost unnoticeable smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

 _"However you want to phrase it Shepard. We both know what they are doing can't be good."_

Shepard frowned.

"How exactly did you know we were after Cerberus? How did you know they were still operating?"

 _"Your Asari is not the only one that's good at finding information Shepard."_ Miranda answered back with her usual cool composure. " _Meet me on Omega at 2200. I will send you a Nav-point when you arrive. Miranda out._ "

The fuzzy image of Miranda suddenly disappeared, the screen flashing to black with a blink of orange light. Shepard stared at the space the vid had been, the fuzzy image replaced by her many model ships.

Shepard rubbed the back of her aching neck, then looked to Liara. _Back to work,_ she thought. _I'll sleep when I'm dead._

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	10. The Pirate Queen and the Cheerleader

**I am back! Yay!**

 **Backpacking was amazing, although the Italian train system is like pulling train times out of a hat, and we were pretty sure we were going to get murdered at the last hostel we went to, talk about a reincarnation of the shining building... we even had twins girls next door to us...Freaky stuff.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, favourites, follows and PM'S, I am really glad you guys like the fic! Hope you like the rest of it!**

 **Please leave a review, tell me what you think, if you loved it, hated it, want to burn it in the fiery depths of hell so it would never see the light of day again, I am not fuss, I like criticism. :P**

 **Next chapter up soon!**

 **Enjoy. J**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Pirate Queen and the Cheerleader**

They arrived on Omega with a few hours to spare, the station was exactly how she had remembered it, dark, seedy and corrupt. As Shepard stepped into the station and into the long corridor, she was instantly hit with the stale smell of rotting garbage.

"Now I know why I've never come here." Ashley said, screwing up her face as she the smell invaded her nostrils.

"What's the matter LC. This place is where it's at!" Came James's response.

"It smells like feet." Ashley answered, the tones in her voice seeming unimpressed and disgusted.

Shepard's Omni tool beeped, the location of Miranda clearly flashing on the holographic projection on her forearm.

"We're gonna have to get a cab." Shepard said, she felt a smile cross her face at the fearful expressions on her team-mates faces. She knew she was not the best driver in the world...or galaxy... but she wasn't _that_ bad.

As the three soldiers approached the main doors of the station, they were stopped by a familiar Baterian blocking the entrance.

"Bray." Shepard said happily. He was really the only Baterian she liked…or maybe it was because he was the only Baterian that didn't want her dead.

"Shepard." He nodded respectfully, taking Shepard's hand in his own and shaking it firmly.

"Aria wants to see you." He said, his voice firm.

"Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something."

"You already know the answer to that Shepard. Get a move on."

Afterlife was just as sordid as she remembered, if not, more so. The thunderous music made the club shake with its constant obscure beat, the garish lighting flashing to the pulsating rhythm that seemed to cause an uncomfortable pounding in Shepard's chest. She noticed the Asari strippers dancing on the high podiums, their body's moving suggestively to the music. She also noticed the increase of guards, littered about the club, watching her as she walked passed.

Making her way to where the 'Queen of Omega' sat, Shepard felt a sudden feeling of Déjà vu wash over her. Her mind momentarily flashing to the kiss she 'shared' with the dangerous Pirate Queen.

She pushed the thoughts aside, rounding the corner that lead towards Aria's perch.

The Asari rose from her seat, taking two long strides towards the armoured Commander. Shepard sighed as she climbed the three stars that lead to the balcony. Leaving James and Ashley behind her, the two soldiers staring down the guards that blocked their way.

"What do you want Aria. I'm busy."

Aria glared at Shepard, a look of annoyance on her face. The look was quickly replaced by an expression of malice and lust.

"Is that any way to treat on old friend Shepard?"

"We are _not_ friends Aria."

"Trying to hurt my feelings Shepard?" She said with a chuckle, looking to human up and down. "We haven't seen each other since you become the galaxy's savour…again. Allow me a few pleasantries" Aria said sarcastically, stepping closer to the Commander. "By the way, I really love what you've done to your face." She exclaimed, running a cruel finger down Selena's scarred cheek.

"I always found women with scars so much more appealing."

Selena's jaw tightened.

"Get to the point Aria." She said through gritted teeth. "I don't have time for your games."

"Stop pretending you don't enjoy my company Shepard." Aria said, a wicked smile tugging at her lips. She leaned in looking up at the Commander with dark eyes. Her body, pressing against think metal of her armour. "I'm the only one that can make you squirm." She whispers. Despite her best efforts, Shepard shifted slightly on her feet, causing the Pirate Queen to chuckle cruelly. Moving away, Aria posture become ridged.

"There is nothing that goes on, in this station that I don't know about."

Shepard narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about Aria?"

"Your Cerberus defector has arranged a meeting with Grokira Daral. I don't know what you're up to Shepard, but Daral's a dangerous son of a bitch." Aria's expression suddenly turned angry, her biotics flaring threateningly as she stepped closer. Shepard could see Ashley and James reach for their weapons.

"If you start a war on my station Shepard…I will kill you. Is that understood?" The Asari flared her nostrils, showing her teeth. Shepard simply smiled, unaffected by the display of dominance. Leaning forward, she gave Aria a sideways glance, a smirk tugging at her lips as she moved her face just inches away from the Matriarchs.

"Perfectly."

She could feel the anger radiating from the Asari as she turned, leaving the ''throne room' without so much as a second glace. Aria might have been one of the few people that could get under her skin, but Selena knew that she had just the same effect on the Pirate Queen.

* * *

They arrived at their destination at exactly 2200 hours, a distinctly gloomy shipping yard in one of Omega's factory districts. Shepard approached the open terrain with caution, her two trusted companions, covering her flank.

"Something about this doesn't feel right Ma'am." Ashley's voice sounded quietly beside her, James grunted in agreement.

"Copy that. Keep your eyes open." Shepard replied, squinting through the hazy darkness of her surroundings. As they rounded the corner, Shepard caught sight of Miranda, her white and black uniform standing out against the smoky darkness that covered the yard. She turned, smiling tightly.

"There you are. Quick, hands behind your back, they are almost here." She ordered, Shepard dropped her gun, glaring at the dark haired women.

"What the hell are you talking about Miranda?"

She raised her gun once more, her finger twitching on the trigger.

"The only way I could arrange this meeting was to tell Daral I had captured the great Commander Shepard."

Shepard's hands tightened around her gun.

"What does he want with me?"

Miranda sighed, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Apparently, you'll fetch a very pretty price in the slave market. Enough to set Daral up for a very long time."

Miranda looked towards the door in the far corner of the yard, a worried expression crossing her flawless face.

"We don't have much time Commander. You're just going to have to trust me."

Shepard was silent for a moment, dark lines creasing her forehead. She clenched her jaw, before dropping her gun.

"Fine."

"Commander." Both James and Ashley argued at the same time, anger and worry filling their voices.

"Both of you get to cover." She ordered. "James, I want you on the ground, Ashley, get somewhere high. Use your Viper."

"Ma'am-" Ashley began to argue, Shepard turned sharply.

"That's an order Williams!"

James moved to cover as Ashley stood her ground, staring up at Shepard with a defiant expression, Shepard started her down. The younger Spectre's eyes faulted as she moved her eyes towards Miranda.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

Alex shifted uncomfortably in the elevator, her hands nervously playing with the data-pad in her hands. She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator slowly ascended towards the 'loft,' as so many people on the ship had taken to calling it.

She inhaled, letting a shuddering breath escape her lips as the metal box stopped and suddenly, her legs felt like stone, glued to the floor as she stared at the glowing green lock on the door in front of her.

"Ma'am." Her escort's voice made her jump. She had momentarily forgotten he was there. "Do you need to see the Commander or not Ma'am?"

His voice was harsh for such a young solider, a hint of suspicion and dislike lacing his voice. Alex ignored it, licking her lips and stepping out of the elevator. The young solider followed her. Moving to the side of the Commanders door.

"You have five minutes. The Commander is a very busy women."

Alex shook her head, annoyed at the soldier's rude tone. Taking a deep breath, she pressed a shaking hand to the glowing green lock. The doors opened with a quiet hiss. Revealing a large tidy room. The first thing Alex noticed was the glass case filled with model ships.

A feeling of nostalgia filled her chest, Shepard had always loved building those silly little ships, taking hours putting them together, painting them with intricate detail then hanging them from her bedroom ceiling.

"Can I help you?" A voice pulled her back to the present, Alex jumped, the voice making her turn towards the bathroom.

"Oh." She said surprised. "Dr T'Soni, I was not aware you were here." Alex said, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. The Asari looked at her with a calculating expression.

"I do sleep here." She stated flatly, moving past the human and towards the black leather sofa near the bed. Alex followed her, aware she had already overstayed her welcome.

"Do you know where I can find Sele…the Commander?" Alex asked biting her lip, the Asari regarded her coolly.

"She's not here." Liara answered simply.

"Do you know where she is?" Alex questioned.

"Omega"

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

"No."

Alex was getting sick of the _'woman's'_ short answers, feeling her fist curl at her side

"I have some important information for her." Alex said through carefully contained anger. Holding out the data pad in her hands. Liara took a step towards the doctor, extending a long arm, palm facing upwards.

"I will make sure she gets it." Liara smiled tightly, her eyes never moving from the dark haired woman in front of her.

The human and the Asari glared at each other, the silence between them, disturbed only by the hum of the fish tank. Alex was the one to back down first, placing the data pad in Liar's outstretched hand.

"Make sure that she does." She said slowly. Liara snatched the data pad away, holding in between three slender fingers.

"Will that be all Dr Cater?"

Alex said nothing, her jaw clenched to tight to respond. Turning on her heel she headed towards the door. As she passed her escort, she could faintly see the amused smile plastered on his face, at the look she gave him, the smile faulted, returning to the stoic expression he'd worn before.

That Asari really was a bitch.

* * *

Shepard had a bad feeling about this. She felt naked, exposed…vulnerable. She hated feeling like this, she wasn't used to it. If felt strange to her, alien' but as she stood in the middle of the ship yard, no armour, no weapon, with her hands behind her back. She couldn't help but feel a wave of fear wash over her.

When Maranda had asked her to play captive, she had been more than a little cautious, but when the Ex Cerberus agent asked her to remove her armour, warning bells went off in her head. Her eyes darted to where her armour was stashed, the glint from James's rifle making her relax… but only a little.

"Care to let me in on your little plan Miranda." It was more of an order than a question. The woman behind her chuckled slightly.

"Don't worry Shepard. You'll be fine as long as you keep your mouth shut." Miranda said, stepping closer to her and gripping the Commanders arm a little too tightly.

"Are the restraints really necessary, I couldn't just pretend to be cuffed?"

"They'd noticed. Like I told you Shepard. It was the only way I could arrange a meeting with Daral. Once he gets here, your people can take out his men, capture him and interrogate him on the Normandy."

"Why do we want to capture him?" Shepard asked, unconvinced.

"He knows things, he knows where Cerberus is going to hit next, he knows the drop off points for the captives they use for experiments. Hell, maybe he knows just what Cerberus is up to."

"I don't know about you, but I don't think he is just going to tell us all his evil plans." Shepard spat back, Miranda's hand tightening around her arm.

"That's where interrogation comes in handy." The operative said shortly. "Now shut up, I hear voices"

The two women watched cautiously as a group of Baterian's approached, carrying with them, military grade weapons. There were at least six of them that walked behind another Baterian, heavily armoured in black and yellow armour. Shepard tried to control her breathing as she spotted the insignia painted on their chests. The same from the colony that was attacked days before, the same insignia that haunted her dreams each night.

The Baterian at the front of the group seemed to notice her shuddering intake of breath, stepping closer to the Commander and baring needle like teeth. He growled slightly.

"Well, Well, Well. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. The great Commander Shepard…in chains." Shepard fought the urge to turn her face away, the alien's putrid breath making her nostrils burn.

"You're not Daral" Miranda's voice made Shepard's eye twitch.

"Daral is busy." The Baterian said, never taking his eyes off Shepard. "I am Gorack, his second in command."

"I was expecting to deal with your boss." Miranda exclaimed, anger evident in her voice. She stepped forward slightly, letting go of Shepard's arm. The Baterian behind him rose their rifles. Miranda stopped, glaring daggers.

"Plans change." Gorack said, his voice stern. "Is that a problem?"

Miranda shook her head, stepping back to Shepard's side.

"Not at all. But you never can be too careful"

Gorack turned his attention back to Shepard, smiling nastily. His rancid breath once again evading her nostrils.

"Do you know how much Cerberus will pay for you?" He said, leaning forward threateningly.

"Probably enough for you to buy a life time supply of breath mints."

She regretted it the moment Gorack's heavily armoured fist connected with her soft unarmoured stomach. She grunted, bending over slightly at the impact. She could hear Miranda tut behind her.

 _She did tell you to keep your mouth shut._

"You will speak when spoken to." Gorack said, Shepard did not even try and hide the chuckle that escaped her lips.

"I was never really good at the whole, shutting up thing." She spat, challenging the Baterian with the unconscious squaring of her shoulders. Gorack's fist connected with her soft stomach once more, the force the punch making her momentarily fall to one knee. The Baterian bent down so he was level with Selena's face, his putrid breath stinging her eyes.

"We will see how quickly that will change when you're wearing a slave collar!"

Shepard narrowed her eyes, a hot feeling of rage boiling in the pit of her stomach.

"That's not going to happen." She said, then surged forward, head-butting the Baterian to the floor. Before his guards could react, they were on the floor in a lifeless heap.

"All tangos taken care of Ma'am." James voice greeted her through the radio in her ear, Shepard got to her feet, shaking her now aching head.

"A head-butt Shepard, really?" Maranda asked, removing the cuffs. The dark haired women shook her head in amusement, a small smile on her lips.

"You must have been a Krogan in a past life."

* * *

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 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, more to come very soon. My spell check was not working on my laptop so please tell me if I have made any huge mistakes...or little mistakes.. I am not picky. :P**

 **Next chapter up soon.**


	11. Mr Smith

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I have been pretty busy with other writing projects (I am writing an original novel) and making my FemShep Cosplay outfit! It was way harder then it looks!**

 **Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, I am glad you guys are enjoying the fic, this chapter is only a short one, but I was having some trouble writing it for some reason. The next chapters will be up soon!**

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 **Chapter has been edited and updated!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

It felt strange being back on the Normandy, very strange, but as Miranda gazed around at the large silver walls, high reaching struts and neatly uniformed occupants, she couldn't help but feel at home on the Normandy…even if the frigate _was_ now flying Alliance colours.

She pressed her palms tightly against the warm coffee cup in her hands, closing her eyes as a welcomed warmth spread through her body.

"Miss Lawson?" A sweet accented voice broke the silence, causing her eyes to snap open at the sudden interruption. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, her eyes coming to rest on the friendly faces of Engineers Daniels and Donnelly.

"Aye it _is_ you!" Kenneth said, his voice raising excitedly as a large smile crossed his face. Gabby shushed him from where she stood, shaking her head at the man's enthusiasm.

"It's good to see you both." Miranda said, finishing the remains of her coffee. "How have you been?"

Pulling a chair from the table Ken sat opposite Miranda, drinking from his own cup of coffee. Gabby sighed, reluctantly taking the seat beside him.

"We've all been grand!" He said. "It's great being back on the Normandy. Shepard runs a tight ship as usual. It's nice to be serving on the ship when it's not heading towards certain doom!" He said happily.

"We are lucky to be serving on the ship at all "Gabby interjected "If it was not for the Commander vouching for us in the war, we would probably be sitting in an Alliance jail…or dead"

Miranda nodded silently, her eyes narrowing in concentration. She wondered where she would be if Shepard had not vouched for her, if she had not given her the chance to get away from the Alliance after the coming back through the Omega 4 relay. They may have taken out the Collectors, delayed the Reapers and saved the entire galaxy, but they were still part of Cerberus. Still part of an organisation that was deemed extremist by most.

She made a mental note to thank the women when she had the chance.

"If we don't get back to work, she is going to fire our butts!" Gabby's nasal voice broke through Maranda's thoughts once more, causing the raven haired woman to be brought back to the present. She smiled as the two engineers stood, waving goodbye and making their way towards the elevator. Kenneth had to stop himself from walking into the Commander as she rounded the corner, a sheepish grin on his face as he saluted the woman before scurrying off towards the elevator.

Miranda watched the woman walk towards her, only now noticing the slight limp she had on her left side. She frowned slightly as Selena walked passed her, heading straight for the coffee machine in the kitchen. As soon the clear glass was full, Shepard snatched it away from the machine, then fell into the chair Ken sat in moments before.

Miranda watched as the woman took three large gulps of the black liquid in her cup, shaking her head in amusement. Shepard practically lived off coffee, she wondered if the woman drank anything else.

"So what do you know?" Shepard asked, tiredness creeping into her voice. Miranda shrugged her shoulders.

"Honestly, probably not that much more than you." She answered "One of my contacts mentioned something about an unusual Cerberus presence in the terminus systems. I thought nothing of it until I...stumbled upon a transmission between Gorack and someone using old Cerberus black ops codes. They originated from Sylar."

Sylar? Shepard repeated. "We were just there. They were running experiments on a young Alliance solider...he almost killed me."

"He tried to kill you?"

Shepard nodded, her hand absentmindedly moving to the faded bruises on her neck.

"Yeah. One minuet he begging me to help him. Then after they injected him with something he didn't remember who I was...and he was strong, I felt like I was struggling against steel."

Miranda was silent for a moment, her brow furrowing as she took in Shepard's words.

"And you're sure he was an Alliance solider...not just posing as one...to throw you off?"

Shepard nodded wordlessly, finishing off the rest of her coffee.

"Ran the tags myself, Corporal Joseph Bentley. Grew up in a farm in Mississippi. Both parents still don't know he's dead. I plan to personally deliver the news. His unit has been informed."

Shepard stood, moving towards the kitchen for yet another cup of coffee, Miranda noticed her tense shoulders, but said nothing.

"What else did you discover on Sylar?"

Shepard sipped her coffee before falling into the chair once again.

"We got a sample of the serum they used on the Corporal. Alex and Doctor Chakwas are analysing it now." The Commander explained. "There was also a man. Tall, wore a suit...reminded me a lot of the illusive Man...Same eyes."

The glass that was making its way to Miranda's lips stopped half way, her eyes seemed to darken as she glared over the rim.

"Did this man have an accent?" She asked, saying each world slow through clenched teeth. Shepard nodded slowly.

"Yeah. French I think."

Miranda sighed heavily, the cup in her hand slamming down on the table with a loud clatter.

"Then it's worse than I thought."

Miranda rubbed a hand through her hair, then leaned both elbows on the table.

"This man is bad news Shepard. Very bad news. Years ago, he was put in charge of a black ops group tasked with the advancement of Cerberuses' soldiers. I thought the bastard was dead!"

Mirada's fist hit the table with a loud thud, shaking the glasses on its surface with the force.

"Well then we need to find him" Shepard said, unfazed by the women's outburst. Miranda breathed through her nose and out her mouth. Nodding.

"He goes by the name of Mr Smith."

Shepard crooked an eyebrow, she could not help the snort of amusement that tickled the back of her throat.

"Mr Smith...he couldn't come up with anything… original?"

"What do you expect him to call himself Shepard...Mr Bad Guy!"

Shepard's mouth turned up in a genuine smirk. Amused at the woman's outburst.

"Point taken. How do we find him?"

"To have a chance at finding him. We have to find Daral It would probably be good to head back to Sylar as well. There are many more facilities on the planet then the _one_ you visited."

Shepard stood. "Got it!" Selena said, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Miranda asked as Shepard started for the elevator. The women stopped short of rounding the corner.

"To have a little chat with our prisoner."

* * *

Shepard had always disliked interrogations. She never had the patience for them. Especially when it came to people like Gorack. Arrogant, cocky, careless sociopaths with a hate for everything human.

As she rounded the corner on her way to the integration room, she could not help but feel a pang of…something run up her spine. It was not fear…she knew that, ,it was something more sinister…a dark, cold feeling that couldn't be described as anything less than hate. It was a feeling that festered right in the bottom of her stomach, a sensation that made her feel like screaming. Like hitting the nearest thing over and over again until the feeling was gone. She took a deep breath, focusing on her breathing, before reaching out to open the previously locked door in front of her.

The door hissed open to reveal a small grey room, a table and two chairs placed symmetrically in the middle. Gorack sat at the chair furthest from the door, a smug smile on his face as he rested his bound hands on the table in front of him.

"Commander Shepard. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me."

Selena said nothing as she took a seat, the door hissing closed behind her, she focused on her breathing, eyeing the Baterian with a distasteful expression.

"You are wasting your time in bringing me here human."

"Where can I find Daral?" Shepard asked, leaning back in her chair, left leg resting rigidly over her right knee. Her hands were fists on the table. Gorack chuckled, a low guttural sound that made Selena girt her teeth.

"What makes you think I am going to tell you?" Gorack's gravelly voice mocked her, a grim smile crossing his chapped bruised lips.

Shepard tried hard to control her temper, biting the inside of her lip before speaking.

"Because I asked nicely. So please, tell me what I want to know."

Gorack chuckled once more. Leaning forward in his seat, all eyes blinking in unison.

"Any if I don't?" Gorack challenged, smirking.

Shepard had, had enough of playing games. She was aching and tired and wanted nothing more than to fall into a mountain of pillows and never come out. She leaned forward, a strange expression crossing her features as she rested her forearms on the table. Her body was suddenly relaxed, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Have you ever been spaced Gorack." She asked. "It's not something I would recommend."

Gorack glared at her as she rose to her feet, following her with his many eyes as she took small steps towards him. She rounded on him, her hand trailing on the table behind her. She did not look at him as she spoke, instead, her eyes were squinted slightly, looking up with an almost 'dreamlike' gaze.

"First, you don't feel much of anything. You go numb… then you start to feel pins and needles in your fingers and your toes... and suddenly..."

Selena slammed her fist on the table, hard enough to make a dent, she felt a sudden rush of pride as Gorack noticeably flinched. A flash of fear crossing his ugly features.

"Bang!" Shepard's voice takes a harsh turn, her voice normally filled with authority and humour now scarily cold and cruel. "It hits you like a ton of bricks!"

"You try to breathe, but your lungs feel like they are filled with sand. Every breath you take feels as if you are trying to breathe under water." She leans forward, her face inches away from the aliens left cheek.

"If you are unlucky enough not to die from your ruptured lungs, you'll start to feel cold. Very cold."

Gorack shifted in his seat once more.

"To top it all off, your body's so traumatised that it starts to shut down...slowly. One by one, your organs start to fail."

She leaned in closer, her voice dangerously low, it all most sounded like a growl.

"The last thing you feel, is you skin peeling away from your bones as you enter the planet's atmosphere."

Gorack's posture stiffened with each word. Shepard pushed away from him, moving to the seat opposite. She could feel a sudden rush of satisfaction as she noticed the Baterian hands shaking.

"It's not how you wanna go...trust me." Leaning back in her chair, Shepard rested her left ankle on her right knee, glaring at the Baterian opposite.

"So, I ask you again...where can I find Daral."

Gorack bit his bottom lip, shifting once again in his seat. His eyes glared at Shepard.

"If I tell you, he will kill me!"

"I think we've already established that _I'll_ kill you if you _don't_ tell me."

Gorack's eye twitched as he met Shepard's gaze, his breathing becoming quick. There was a silence that came over them, the two soldiers glaring at each other, daring the other to blink. Finally, Gorack smirked, leaning forward.

"I don't believe you." He said, his teeth showing behind ugly purple lips. "You are Commander Shepard. Saviour of the Galaxy, protector of its people…you do not kill people in cold blood."

Shepard nodded silently, biting the inside of her lip.

"You're right about one thing." She said. "I do protect people. Good people; but you… I don't like like you. You are a salver. You don't deserve to live." Shepard rose, walking calmly towards the door with a stiff back. "The next time I come to talk to you, you better have an answer for me."

Gorack chuckled.

"And if I don't?"

Selena turned, her expression passive.

"Then I will personally throw you out the airlock…"

As she opened the door, she turned to the marine that stood outside.

"Take him back to his cell."

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. My spell check is still not working, so please tell me if anything is out of place!**

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	12. Apologies and Experiments

**Next chapter is up, thanks for the reviews for the last one and thanks for the help on the last chapter RheasHelm**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter, please leave a review to tell me what you think and give me some feedback.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - Apologies and Experiments**

Mr Smith watched with fascination as the serum entered the young man's body, smiling at the way the orange liquid dyed the veins of the man's arm. Thin brightly coloured trails crawled up the man's bicep, across his shoulder and over his neck, his heart beating faster and faster as he struggled against the restraints that held him. The machines beside him beeped franticly, his screams dying down to a harsh whisper.

He stopped struggling, his arms falling weakly by his side as he gasped for breath. His chest rose and fell, then suddenly, he was limp, the machines next to him emitting a low pitched whine.

Mr Smith watched the man for a second, before turning to the doctor beside him.

"Insert the control chip."

The doctor did as she was asked, making a tiny incision in the man's neck, the doctor placed a capsule sized metallic object into his soft tissue then closed the wound using an instrument that resembled a laser pen. Moving over to the computer, she typed a few commands into the console, watching as the capsule lit up under the man's skin.

"Subject transformation successful sir." The doctor stated. Mr Smith smiled, fixing the tie round his neck.

"Good."

He watched as the man was wheeled away, only to be replaced by another struggling marine. Smith smiled before turning on his heel.

"Keep up the good work Doctor Kennedy."

Doctor Kennedy nodded before preparing the medical chair.

"Patient 131…Alliance Marines, Female, approximately one hundred and fifty pounds."

The marine struggled against the restraints that held her, screaming profanities at the top of her lungs.

"Administering serum."

She screamed as the orange liquid burned in her veins.

* * *

Shepard's fist connected with the punching bag with a hard, dull thud, her breaths coming out in short gasps as she bounced on the balls of her feet, her tanned skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat. She punched the bag again, her shoulder screaming in protest as she jabbed three more times, causing the bag to swing on its hook.

She ignored the bloody stains she was leaving on the leathery material of the bag, dancing round the shuttle bay as she hit it with tight fists. She could feel a fire in her chest as she hit the bag harder, faster, the only sound in the otherwise quiet room being the dull thuds of skin on leather.

After a while, she collapsed to the floor, her chest rising and falling in a frantic search for air. Her eyes were closed as she rested her head against the cold hard floor, her body wet with sweat, her hands resting on her bare stomach, her knuckles bloody and raw.

"Ah Commander?" A voice called to her from the door, she didn't have to open her eyes to see who it was.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Shepard said, still trying to catch her breath.

"Dr T'soni wanted to see you after your workout. She says it's important." Vega's voice grew louder as he approached, his hulking figure blocking out the lights above Shepard. The Commander opened her eyes, staring up at the young solider. He held out a hand, his eyes soft as he looked down towards his C.O. "You ok?" he asked, pulling Shepard to her feet, his large hand completely covering her small one.

"Fine, why do you ask?" Shepard said, moving towards the bench and wiping her face with a towel. James moved his head to look over his shoulder, his brow creasing slightly as he took in the state of _his_ punching bag.

"Because, you kinda gave my punching bag a morbid makeover." He said carefully, Shepard followed his gaze, noticing the large red smears of red against the dirty white leather. She made a face, moving to look at James with a guilty expression.

"Ah." She said "Sorry. I'll get you a new one."

James waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it Lola. It looks better this way." He said, moving towards the bag. He smiled cheekily. Shepard nodded wordlessly, heading towards the elevator. James watched her go, a strange expression on his face.

* * *

When Shepard arrived on the crew deck, she was still in her training clothes, dressed head to toe in black, with lose fitting trousers and a tight top that showed her stomach. She threw her towel over her shoulder as she turned the corner to Liara's office, blowing a few stray bits of red hair away from her sweaty forehead.

She was not surprised to see her bond-mate staring at the screens in the middle of her office, a cup of steaming Asari tea in her hands as she focused intently on the screens in front of her. Shepard smiled, moving to the young maiden and wrapping her arms around her waist. She rested her chin on Liara's shoulder, pecking the young Asari on the cheek.

"You wanted to see me?" Shepard asked, pulling Liara closer. The Asari turned her head and smiled.

"Only if you are quite finished beating that poor defenceless bag…what did it ever do to you?" Liara asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Shepard chuckled.

"I was just letting off some steam. No punching bags were harmed!." Selena kissed Liara once more, before moving away and flopping down on the bed, her left arm moving to rest over her eyes. She could feel a sudden weight on the bed next to her.

"Which is more than can be said for your hands." Liara questioned, taking Shepard's right hand in her own to examine the nasty welts on her fist. Selena looked at her sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda got carried away."

Liara tutted as she shook her head, then moved back to the screens. Shepard followed, staring at the information that scrolled across the terminals.

"What's this?" Selena asked.

"It is some of the information that Doctor Carter found, about the Medi-gel formula. Apparently, after the first failed experiment, she created a fail-safe within the chemical compounds of the serum." Liara explained.

"A fail-safe?" Shepard inquired.

"A way to reverse the process."

"Reverse it?"

"Apparently Miss Carter was working on it behind Cerberus's back. She found a way to rewrite the serum, so its effects would not be permanent." Liara typed something into the console in front of her, causing the screens to flash. "After a while, the subjects would start to gain their memory back as the serum was flushed through the patients system"

Shepard watched with fascination as the information skimmed across the screen.

"The improved formula we found in the Cerberus lab has been intensified, but the fail-safe is still there, the subjects would feel the effects of the serum for longer, but they too will start to remember their lives prior to receiving treatment. The subjects would need multiple treatments in order for the serum to keep doing its job. "

Shepard nodded wordlessly, trying to take in all the information.

"Unfortunately, the more treatments the subject gets, the less the fail-safe works. Until, eventually, they completely forget who they are…Indefinitely."

Shepard continued to stare at the screens in front of her, her mouth slightly open in disbelief.

"Shepard, Cerberus has slavers getting them test subjects, they could have created hundreds by now." Liara stated, frowning at Shepard's expression.

"That's amazing."

Liara's frown deepened as she looked between Shepard and the research.

"It is not exactly what I would call Amazing Selena. It is evil."

Suddenly, Selena blinked, closing her mouth and moving her head towards Liara, her eyes didn't quite move from the screen. Shepard smiled.

"Huh…Oh, Yeah, what Cerberus is doing _is_ evil, but Alex's idea about the fail-safe…its genius."

Shepard missed the scowl that formed on Liara's face, the flash of jealously in her eyes as Shepard stared at the screen with an impressed expression on her face.

"I would not go as far as saying it was… _genius._ " Liara said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Are you kidding Liara. This could save the people that have been taken and turned into those mindless drones."

Liara placed her hands on her hips, her scowl deepening. Shepard did seem to notice as she moved to the door.

"Where are you going?" Liara asked, reaching out to catch Shepard before she left. Selena turned, a sad look in her bright green eyes.

"I need to talk to Alex…I need to apologise for the way I have been treating her." Shepard answered.

"Apologise!" Liara shouted, her voice raising unexpectedly as she spoke. Her biotics flared as she clenched her fists by her side. Shepard was taken back by her sudden ferocity. "The women worked with Cerberus Shepard. She can't be trusted."

Selena turned slowly on her heel, the muscle in her jaw clenching tightly.

"You forget that _I_ used to work with Cerberus as well Liara." Selena voice was low and angry. Liara's biotics dimmed.

"But you were trying to help people Shepard."

Selena turned on her heel, stomping towards the door.

"So was she."

* * *

Alex rested her head against the soft leather of the sofa, gazing out at the millions of stars that stretched before her. She sighed and hugged her blanket closer to her body as she shivered. The cold dark reaches of space were far from what she was used to. She much preferred the trees and colourful meadows of the colony planets, the beautiful blue skies of Earth, the warm sun…real air.

She sighed again, closing her eyes and hugging the blanket even closer to her body. She had just gotten comfy when her door chimed. The sudden sound made her jump, the blanket falling around her feet as she stood.

"Who is it?" She shouted. A familiar voice called back.

"It's Shepard."

Alex gasped silently, her hands moving to fix her hair. She smoothed down her clothes and took a deep breath.

"Come in."

The door opened with a hiss, revelling Selena as she stood in the doorway. Alex could not help but let her eyes travel down to what the Commander was wearing, the tight black fabric hugging the women in all the right places. She felt her heart quicken, her eyes resting on Selena's impressively toned abdomen. The tanned skin was blemished with white raised scars. Alex found herself wondering how she had gotten all of them.

"You got a minuet?" Shepard asked.

Alex nodded wordlessly, extending a hand towards the soft leather sofa she lay on moments before. Shepard took a deep breath before she entered the room, the door hissing shut behind her.

"I wanted to apologise" She said, her voice surprisingly soft as she spoke.

"For what?" Alex asked, frowning.

"For the way I have been treating you since you got here. For the way, everybody has been treating you. You were only try to help people. You didn't deserve it. I'm sorry."

Alex couldn't help but smile at the way Shepard's forehead creased when she was nervous. The way she pursed her lips when she concentrated hard on what to say next. Even with the scars that flawed her cheek, she was still as beautiful as Alex remembered.

"You were just doing your job Selena. Protecting your own." Alex reached out a hand, her slender fingers caressing the battle scars on her cheek. "I understand." Alex felt chills run down her spine as Shepard's eyes bored into her own. Piercing green orbs shining with unshed tears.

"I'm still sorry. It's just…" Shepard took another deep breath. "It's been so long since I lost you…so long since the attack. I thought I had finally gotten over it and after everything that's happened, everything I've lost…you turn up again, after all these years."

Alex looked up at the taller women, lifting herself onto her toes, placing a gentle kiss on Shepard's lips, she's surprised when the Commander doesn't pull away, she's even more surprised when Selena kisses her back, the woman's strong hands gently entwining through her hair. Alex smiled against the solider soft lips, feeling a warmth run the length of her body, she had wanted this for so long, ached for it. Her smile only deepened as Shepard's scent met her nostrils, a spicy aroma she remembered so well. Still the same as it had always been.

 _Alex squinted her eyes tiredly as she skimmed her notes, the glow of her computer lighting her room with a sickly orange glow. She pushed her fingers deep into her eyes, pitching her the bridge of her nose and sighed._

 _She really needed a break from studying._

 _A soft knock on her window made her jump, causing her to turn in her swivel chair, she spied a small figure perched on her window ledge. Her mouth opened in disbelieve as Selena Shepard waved at her through the glass, a mischievous smile on her face. Hurrying towards the window, she unlatched the catch, carefully pulling it open, she was instantly met with the warm hungry lips of her partner. It was a few seconds before they parted. Selena smelled like flowers and spice._

 _"Whatcha doing." Selena asked, drawing out her words, smiling drunkenly as she hung off the ledge of the window. Alex was afraid she was going to fall._

 _"I am writing my paper for school, like you should be." She whispered, worried her father could walk in on her at any minute. "What are you doing here?"_

 _Shepard grinned, leaning into the room as she swayed slightly on the window frame. Alex's fear of the women falling two stories only grew._

 _"I came to break you out of here." Selena said. "I thought we could spend some time together, just the two of us." Shepard held up a crate that contained a few bottles of expensive beer. "I even stole some of my Dad's beer."_

 _Alex shook her head in amusement._

 _"Selena, we are under-age…do you have any idea what will happen if we get caught with that!"_

 _"Then let's not get caught." Selena's husk voice was filled with humour, Alex sighed, thinking for a moment. She was seriously contemplating on leaving with the fiery haired, leather wearing girl that currently hung from her window ledge. There was something about that cocky lopsided smile of hers, something about the mischievous glint in her eye that made Alex want to do anything she said, even if it was against the rules. But then again, rules were not a thing that Selena found interesting enough to follow. Alex bit her lip, torn between the trouble making tomboy in front of her and her responsibility to her school work._

 _"I'll have you back before anyone notices you're gone?" Selena said, taking her supporting hand off of the edge of the window and extending a long arm towards Alex. "What's the worst that could happen?"_

 _Alex smiled again, she couldn't help but melt when Selena smirked at her, her legs going weak at the knees. Taking her partners hand she giggled and stepped out onto the ledge. Selena was right._

 _What's the worst that could happen?_

Alex was forced from the memory when Shepard pulled away, a rush of cold wrapping around her when the Commanders body moved away from hers, she watched as Selena moved away towards the large window that looked out into the dark reaches of space. It was only now Alex realised what she had done.

"I'm Sorry Selena, I don't know what came over me…I-" Alex started.

"It's not your fault." Shepard responded, hey eyes staring unblinking.

"But-" Alex began again, taking a step towards the Commander, Shepard took a step away, rushing towards the door.

"I should go"

"Shepard?" Alex called out, but Selena was gone before she could say anything else. Alex sighed and flopped down on to the sofa, letting her head fall into her hands.

From her office, Liara switched the screen to the observation deck off, her hands fisting by her side.

* * *

 **Ohhhh What's going to happen now!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you all understand how the Medi-gel serum works now, it is not an exact science, but...it's the future, that is my excuse. Next chapter up soon, and trust me, it's going to get exiting and a little darker.**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you think.**


	13. Capture

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

 **WARNING: Some gore and swearing**

 **Please leave a review. I am in dire need of some feedback.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

The first thing Commander Selena Shepard did when she entered her cabin, was fall face first onto her bed, her fists pounding the soft mattress below her as she screamed into her pillow. Her cabin was dark, the light from the fish tank casting an eerie glow across the white sheets as dark shadows skulked in the corners of the room. Shepard sighed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the skylight above her.

 _How could she have kissed Alex!_

The angry voice in her head was back, yelling at her as she tried to figure out exactly what she had done.

 _Your Commander fucking Shepard. You should be in control of your emotions, not acting like a horny teenage girl!_

She rubbed her eyes then ran a hand through her tangled hair, not caring when her hand pulled painfully at her scalp.

It was not the fact she had kissed Alex that made her ashamed, it was the fact she enjoyed the kiss that made the guilt rest deeply within her chest. For just a moment, she was reminded of how things used to be, before she had joined the Alliance, before Elysium, before the Reapers, and before the entire weight of the galaxy had been placed on her shoulders. She had been reminded of the time when she was just a simple dumb kid, whose biggest worries were passing school exams, getting laid and learning to drive.

 _But how could you do that to Liara. After everything you have been through…after everything she has done for you?_

The voice in her head sounded harsh. It caused yet another pang of guilt to run through her. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she began to feel the dull ache of a migraine behind her eyes. She let her head sink deeper into her pillow, letting her throbbing muscles relax. She jumped when Jokers voice called over the intercom.

"Commander we've almost arrived at the colony. ETA twenty minutes."

Shepard forced herself into a sitting position, massaging the back of her neck.

"Assemble the crew. I'll be down in five."

"Yes Ma'am."

Shepard dressed quickly into her combat fatigues, then made her way to the shuttle bay.

* * *

Shepard had arrived in the shuttle bay with ten minutes to spare, checking her rifle for what seemed like the hundredth time. They were responding to a distress signal from a nearby colony. Something had seemed off about the signal, at least that what Traynor had said when they had received it. Shepard ignored her doubts, she was not going to let another colony get hit.

"Commander." James and Ashley saluted her, before checking their own weapons, Shepard frowned.

"Where's Liara?"

James didn't look at her as he spoke.

"I went to go get her and she seemed pretty upset if you ask me. I don't think I've ever seen her angry before. Thought I was going to be a smear on the wall. "

Shepard looked between Ashley and James. Frowning.

"Did she say anything?" The Commander asked, shifting uncomfortably. The movement did not go un-noticed by Garrus.

"Nope, just mumbled something angry under her breath and told me to get out of her office." James said, shrugging.

Shepard sighed. She really needed to talk to Liara.

"I'll be back."

"What about the mission?" Ashley asked, her voice distorted by her helmet.

"I'll be back before we leave."

She could hear Ashley's sigh of frustration behind her as she made her way to the elevator.

* * *

She had arrived at Liara's office within minutes, the large glowing red lock making her take a deep breath before she knocked. When she received no answer, she knocked again.

"I'm not going away until you talk to me Liara." She said after another movement's silence. She looked at the time. She had seven minutes to spare. "Don't make override this door."

With a quiet beep and recognisable hiss, the door opened. Shepard took one step through the door, before coming to an abrupt and worried stop. Liara's office, which was normally meticulously tidy, now looked as if a bomb had hit it. Shepard looked between the broken tea cup on the floor, to the smashed picture frame by the bed. One of the computer screens nearest to door was flickering and the wall to the far right dripped with what Shepard thought was the contents of the tea cup.

Selena swallowed hard, suddenly lost for words.

"What do you want?" Liara asked, she sounded as if she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked, a sudden feeling a guilt washing over her.

"Nothing. Why should something be the matter?" Liara said curtly, turning towards her Commander. Shepard licked her lips nervously.

"James said you refuse to come on the mission with us…why?"

"How do you expect me to trust you with my life if I cannot trust you with my heart?"

Shepard blinked twice. Unsure of what she had just heard.

"What?"

"I know you kissed her Shepard. I saw it."

Shepard sighed, running a hand through her hair. She took a step towards Liara, stopping abruptly when the Asari's biotics flared dangerously.

"I made a mistake Liara. I know. When Alex kissed me, I was reminded about the past. Reminded of…what had been… I lost control for just a second. But-"

"But what Shepard!" Liara shouted. The sudden ferocity in the maiden's voice made her jump. Shepard was speechless. "Is this a game to you? Was I some sort of fall back girl? Someone to warm you bed until you found what you lost?"

Shepard could not believe what she was hearing.

"What? No, Liara I -"

"After everything we have been through, everything I have done for you."

Liara's biotics grew brighter, her eyes dark with anger as she took a step towards Shepard pointing long accusing fingers towards her. Selena let her mate finish her rant, not daring to interrupt.

"If you think you would be happier with her then go ahead, because I am sure that I can find someone that makes _me_ a lot happier than you do!"

Liara regretted her words the moment she said them, she was shaking, angry and hurt. She saw the flash of hurt in Shepard's eyes when she said that. She saw the human women flinch. She had wanted to hurt the woman, but she no control over how much. The room was quiet, Liara didn't trust herself enough to speak. When she looked back towards Shepard, the humans jaw was set. An expression Liara saw her wear many times before. Shepard nodded silently, then turned in the doorway, wordlessly making her way towards the elevator.

"Selena wait…" Liara started, but the woman was already out of earshot. The Asari sighed and leaned heavily on her desk, a tear crawling down her face.

It was Liara's turn to feel ashamed.

* * *

When Shepard arrived back in the shuttle bay, she immediately placed her recon hood over her head, grabbing her rifle she surged towards the shuttle, jumping in wordlessly and taking a seat at the back. Her crew followed her, James, Ashley and Garrus each taking a seat opposite her.

"So, where is Liara Ma'am?" James dared to ask.

"Not coming." Shepard replied curtly.

The shuttle was silent once more. The hum of the engines and the shuffling of armour were the only sounds in the small quiet space.

They had arrived at their destination within half an hour, a small industrial colony that made auto-mobiles. The red sky and dark buildings reminded Shepard a lot of the Omega skyline. A dark polluted haze made her grateful for her helmet. As she jumped from the shuttle, she surveyed the area, trying to etch every detail of the colony to memory.

"Doesn't look like these people need help Ma'am?" James said from behind her, looking around at the quiet colony. There was no sign of any danger at all. Shepard frowned, tension setting in her shoulders.

"Keep your eyes open. Something's not right."

"Yes Ma'am" James answered, his body stiffening noticeably as he spotted the hulking form of a man coming towards them. "We got company Shepard."

Selena moved her gaze towards the dirty man that approached them, his body covered in dirt and grime as he wiped his hands on an equally dirty towel.

"Commander Shepard?" The man questions, his small eyes squinting with confusion as he stopped in front of his armed visitors. Shepard nodded, she was still getting used to everyone knowing her name. She could not go anywhere without getting noticed. "What brings you here Ma'am?" The man asked, rubbing the back of his massive neck. Shepard had to admit, the man that currently stood in front of her made James look small in size.

"We received a distress signal from this colony." Shepard said, she didn't like how the mans confused expression deepened. He shook his head.

"Distress signal…we didn't send out any distress signal."

Shepard frowned, her shoulders once again becoming tense. Her radio sparked to life, Jokers voice greeting her with a frantic tone.

 _"Commander we have a problem!"_

"What is it Joker?"

 _"Traynor did some digging. The distress signal we received didn't originate from the planet."_

"The where did it come from!"

 _"It came from a Baterian slave vessel, using Cerberus codes. They somehow bounced the signal off the planet."_

"How the hell did they do that? They would have to be within radio range? _"_

 _"Exactly Commander. You're about to have some company!"_

Shepard's blood ran cold at Jokers last words, her body stiffening as a surge of anger coursed through her. Of course it was a trap. The Commander turned back towards the man.

"How many people live on this colony?" The man shrugged.

"About a hundred. We have nothing but factories on this planet, we make cars…it's not exactly a place to start a family commander."

In the distance, Shepard could hear a dull hum, a sound she knew all too well. Looking up into the sky she growled when she noticed the dark shadow that began to swallow the small industrial colony, the low hum of engines increasing as each second passed.

"You need to evacuate this colony!" Shepard shouted. The man looked up into the sky, his eyes widening as a large metallic ship materialised and broke through the red tinted clouds.

"Now!" Shepard shouted, taking the man by the massive shoulders and shaking him. He nodded franticly before running towards an ever increasing crowed of people, men and women staring up towards the vessel with fear and amazement.

"Garrus, find a good vantage point, shoot to kill, Williams, defend this shuttle, Vega you're with me."

"Yes Ma'am."

Shepard started towards the colony, Vega following closely behind her. She fired at the troopers that dropped from the shuttles, dodging the colonists that barrelled towards her in a race for the evacuation shuttles. The ship that had been hovering above them suddenly crashed to the ground, the impact sending a thick cloud of dust into the air, causing both James and Shepard to stop. For a moment, there was only silence. Then the ground began to shake accompanied by a defining roar as the two soldiers tried hard to keep their footing.

"That can't be good! "James shouted, his voice barely audible as the low rumble began to turn into a high pitched screech. James and Shepard were suddenly knocked off their feet as a wave of blue energy erupted from the ship, sending spasms through their bodies as they hit the ground.

"What the hell was that?" James yelled, helping Shepard to her feet. They were forced apart when a hail of gunfire erupted from behind the haze, both Baterian and Cerberus appearing from through the dust cloud, heavily armoured.

"Get Shepard!" Selena heard a trooper order, dodging the cluster grenade he threw towards her. Before Shepard could get to her feet once more, she felt her self being violently lifted into the air, a small but strong hand squeezing her neck. By the time her blurred vision had cleared, she stared down at a woman clad in black, her eyes pale and dead, much like the young Corporals had been. Before she knew it, her helmet was pulled from her head, the smell of smoke and industrial haze invading her nostrils, causing her to cough.

She struggled in her attackers grasp, reaching down towards the pistol that hung on her hip. Her hand curled round the handle as the woman's free hand moved towards her ear.

"I have her." She said, her voice sounded robotic and dull. Shepard pulled the pistol from its holster and fired. The force knocked the woman back, causing her hand to let go of Selena. As soon as Shepard's feet were firmly on the ground, she emptied her clip into the woman's chest, putting two in her head for good measure. The woman fell to the floor in a crumbled mess of flesh.

"Dios...that's not pretty." Suddenly James was beside her, hand on her shoulder as she rubbed her neck.

"You okay Commander?"

Shepard nodded, coughing.

An explosion behind her made her turn. Shepard watched as the Cerberus officers scattered in all directions. She squinted through the smoke, her eyes widening as a large flash or orange and white appeared through the haze.

 _Of course they had an atlas._

"Fall back!" Shepard ordered, moving back towards the shuttle. Garrus was already waiting inside the Kodiak, helping an older women on bored. Shepard turned, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a rocket. She could hear the Atlas move towards her as she picked up her pace, the hiss off bullets weakening her shields. She came to a halt outside the Kodiak, helping the man she spoke to earlier into the shuttle. James pulled up beside her, his breathing laboured as he fired towards three troopers.

"We got to get out of here Commander!" He said, ducking as a hail of gunfire hit the side of the shuttle. Shepard nodded her agreement.

"Agreed" She had to shout to be heard without her helmet. She watched as James climbed in first, surveying the battlefield before climbing in herself.

"Come on Commander!" James shouted, extending a hand to help her up. She was just about to take it, when she heard a cry for help to her right. Moving her head towards the direction of the sound, she saw a young man fall through the smoke, his leg bleeding as he limped towards her.

"Come on Commander, we have to get out of here!"

Shepard reloaded her gun, before looking back towards James.

"No one gets left behind Lieutenant!"

James moved his head towards the young man, then back to Selena, his mouth thinning.

"I'll cover you!"

The Commander nodded, before starting towards the fallen young colonist, his tear streaked and dirt covered faced becoming more visible as he reached a bleeding hand towards Selena. As the Commander reached him, she felt her shields shatter. She helped him to his feet, half dragging him towards the shuttle. The moment she heard distinctive hiss and beep of the Atlas, she threw the man towards the Kodiak, feeling herself fly through the air as a large explosion erupted beside her seconds after. She felt her skull crack as it connected with the hard ground beneath it, her vision blurring as she faintly heard someone calling her name.

She moved slowly to her side, her head screaming in pain with every tiny movement she made. Slowly she tried to lean on her elbows, managing to push herself to her knees. She flopped to the floor ungracefully as a wave of dizziness overcoming her.

"Shepard!"

James's voice was a distant ring in her ears as she lifted her head, moving her eyes towards the shuttle. Through blurred vision, she saw James lifting the young man she had tried to save to his feet, pushing him towards the shuttle before turning to make his way to her.

He narrowly avoided getting hit with a missile, rolling to cover as the Atlas fired towards him. She shook her head, her gaze moving towards the group of troopers that encroached on her position.

There were too many of them for James to fight.

"James. Go, get out of here!" Her voice was barely audible over the rush of gunfire and shouting. James shook his head, ducking behind his cover as another hail of bullets slammed into the crate he stood behind. Shepard moved her head back to the group of Cerberus soldiers, now only a few feet away.

"Get your ass out of here Lieutenant. That's an order!"

Pain suddenly exploded in her head and before she knew It, she was on her back, looking up at a dozen masked faces, through the barrels of a dozen loaded guns. She was surrounded.

She turned her head, watching as the shuttle ascended into the air, sighing in relief that her team got out alive. Her vision began to darken as she turned her head back to stare up at her captors.

She closed her eyes, and everything went black.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took a while to get right.**

 **Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I am in need of some feedback.**


	14. Acting Commander

**Hey guys, here is the next update. Hope you enjoy. As usual, tell me if I have made any mistakes. I have proofread it, but sometimes silly little errors get past me. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Please leave a review**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Vega grit his teeth against the pain in his side, a sharp, hot sting throbbing just under his ribcage where a bullet had grazed him in his retreat. He hated himself for leaving Shepard. He should have been quicker, should have been faster. The Commander trusted him to have her back and he failed her. God only knows how many times Shepard has saved his ass, then when it came to him, he ran like a coward. He mentally cursed himself. He didn't deserve to serve by her side. He flinched as the doctor pressed on his wound, hissing through gritted teeth as pain surged through his side, bandages stained with blood lay beside him on the table, a mountain of red and white covering the silver metallic surface.

Doctor Chakwas had made quick work of the wound, expertly cleaning and stitching the deep laceration within minutes. Even with the Medi-gel his side throbbed as if it had its own heartbeat, a painful sensation that he was no stranger to.

"Don't frown so hard Mr Vega. You're going to get wrinkles" The doctors voice broke through his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the present. He sighed as he slipped off the bed, putting on his shirt with a throaty groan. The Doctor placed the dirty bandages into on orange plastic sack, then removed her red stained gloves, placing them in the bag as well.

"Something on your mind Lieutenant." She asked firmly, moving towards her desk. James rubbed the back of his neck before answering.

"It's my fault Shepard got taken. I said I had her back and I didn't." The doctors' stern face softened as she looked back at her patient, a look of worry in her pale green eyes.

"You cannot blame yourself James, I am certain the Commander will not blame you either."

"But I should have at least tried to help her!" James clenched his fist at his side, sharp nails digging into his rough palm "If I didn't run away...I-"

"-would have been captured alongside Shepard and then we would have to come rescue both of you"

Karin's stern tone was back again, her brow creased in a frustrated scowl. Vega sighed, knowing better than to argue with the doctor.

"We will drop the colonists off at the Citadel, then we will mount a marvellous rescue mission to go save our fearless leader." Karin said with a wink. James smiled half-heartedly, his fist still clenched beside him. Sensing his doubt Karin placed a soft hand on the marine's massive shoulder, squeezing gently.

"This is Shepard we're talking about. I am sure she is fine. She's probably giving her captors a hard time as we speak...you know that woman is as stubborn as mule." Karin smiled once more, a small upturning of her lips that seemed to put the solider at ease.

"I guess your right Ma'am" James sniggered softly, white teeth showing behind thick pouting lips. "Wouldn't surprise me if she has taken out the base already and is on her way home." Karin chuckled at the comment, it certainly wouldn't surprise her either. She watched as the young man made his way out of the medical bay, her smile faltering as her face fell into a worried expression.

"Don't worry commander" she said to no one in particular, her hands wringing nervously In front of her. "We're on our way" 

* * *

Ashley paced the elevator as it ascended towards the captain's cabin, her heart beating so hard in her chest she could almost feel it slam against her ribcage. She clenched and unclenched her hands as the elevator took its time to reach its destination, her palms sweaty as a million thoughts ran through her head.

Traynor had informed her that Admiral Hackett had requested her personally on vid-com, the young Lieutenant Commander thought she had misheard the com-specialist and as she made her way into the elevator, she couldn't help but feel a sickening tingle of fear in the pit of her stomach.

As the doors of the elevator opened, Ashley stepped out, pausing outside the Commander's doors. She took a deep breath before waving her hand over the glowing green lock, her anticipation only growing as the doors hissed open, revealing Shepard's personal quarters. The light was off, but the glow of the fish tank brightly illuminated everything in the room. Soft music played somewhere by the bed and Ashley could hear the faint sound of tiny paws crunching on sawdust. She turned and smirked at the fat hamster that currently stuffed food pellets into his mouth, its cheeks protruding outwards in a humorous manor. As she moved towards the desk, she could hear the rodent scurry back into its house.

She had never been in Shepard's cabin before, but as she glanced around the meticulously tidy desk, she could not help but notice the two photo frames that sat next to her computer, one of them holding a picture of her and Liara, and the other containing a smaller version of the picture they had taken at her apartment. Ashley smiled fondly at the memory.

Moving her head towards the other side of the desk, Ashley's eyes regarded the Star of Terra that sat inside a glass frame. The shining silver medal causing a shiver to run down her spine. She turned back to the photos, noticing another laying face down behind the computer. She frowned, reaching for the damaged frame, curiosity getting the better of her. The frame sparked to life, a flickering, grainy photo of a smiling family staring back at her. A tall man with greying hair stood towering over an athletic auburn haired women, a small boy clinging to the man's white lab coat, smiling at the camera with a toothless grin. A young red haired girl with freckles glanced towards the camera, her face pink with embarrassment as the older woman pinched her cheek. Shepard looked so much like her mother.

Once again, Ashley felt as if she were intruding. Putting the photo back where she found it she smoothed out her uniform. A sudden beeping directed her attention towards the vid-screen. Ashley took a deep breath, before answering the call. Standing at attention, she gave a strong salute as Admiral Hackett appeared on screen.

"Sir"

The Admiral acknowledged her salute with a nod.

"Lieutenant Commander Williams." He greeted, Ashley still found it strange when people said her title out loud, having chosen to stay on the Normandy, she was used to people either calling her by her first or second name. Shepard had only ever used her rank once since the end of the Reaper war

"I trust you know why I asked to see you?"

Ashley shook her head. "Not really sir."

"With Shepard MIA, it's your job to take command of the Normandy. I trust you are up to the task?"

Ashley's heart stopped.

"Excuse me sir?"

"If we are going to find Shepard and put a stop to whatever the hell Cerberus is up to now, the crew is going to need a leader. As of now, you are in temporary command of the Normandy."

Ashley couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had no experience commanding a ship.

"With all due respect sir. I don't think I am capable of commanding a war ship."

Admiral Hackett's eyes narrowed and his lips thinned.

"Commander Shepard seems to think otherwise. We have it in writing that if anything happens to her, you get Command of the Normandy. Her wishes. This is not up for debate Williams. Find Shepard and Stop Cerberus. Hackett out."

The conversation was over as quickly as it started, the vid-screen tuned off, leaving the room dark once more. Ashley took a deep breath and steeled her expression. She had to admit, she was very surprised that Shepard believed she could command the Normandy. She was flattered, exited and terrified all at the same time.

"I can do this." She whispered to herself, staring at her distorted reflection in the glass.

"I hope…"

* * *

Liara watched the screens with an uninterested expression, her eyes absent-mindedly scanning the information that skimmed at impossible speeds across the twenty screens in front of her. A cold pain had settled at base of her chest and it had refused to move ever since she had spoken to Shepard. She did not mean what she said. How could she? Shepard was so attentive, so caring, always putting her mate's needs before her own. Sure she had kissed Alex, but so what, it was just one kiss. Liara sighed, knowing that it was not just one kiss. There was something more behind it, but that does not mean that what she had said to Shepard had been fair. She had seen the pain cross the humans features, could see the hurt in her eyes, even though Selena had tried desperately to hide it. Even though Shepard was in the wrong, Liara couldn't help but feel guilty.

The young Asari rubbed her eyes tiredly, sighing as she rose from her seat and started towards the door. A nice cup of tea would go down nicely. As she made her way towards the kitchen, she glared at the young women that sat at the table, the dark haired human staring at the laptop that rested in front of her. She looked as if she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red. Liara fought the urge to ask what was wrong, this woman did not deserve her sympathy.

She smiled faintly as she rounded the corner, nodding towards James as he sipped from a coffee cup.

"Good Afternoon Lieutenant." She greeted, Vega turned to her, unable to meet her eyes.

"Afternoon Doc."

Liara ignored the man's nervous disposition, reaching towards the top cupboard for her special Asari tea. She was glad no one else drank it but her. The humans always complained it tasted too much like drinking a tree…whatever that meant.

Pouring the boiling water onto the bright purple leaves, she let the beverage stew for a while, inhaling the pleasant sweet smell of the herbs as they infused with the water. She turned to Vega, suddenly hesitant.

"Have you seen the Commander? Her and I need to have a talk?"

James's glass froze midway to his mouth, his eyes looking towards Alex. Liara frowned and looked over her shoulder, Alex seemed to have been staring at her since she walked in.

"What is the matter? What has happened?"

Vega placed his cup on the table in front of him, rubbing his neck. His eyes were to the floor as he spoke.

"I thought you knew doc."

"Knew what!" Liara asked, fear suddenly rising in her throat. "Is Shepard okay? Where is she?"

There was a long pause as Liara searched the crew deck, playing close attention to the medical bay. Her eyes grew large as she once again, turned her gaze towards James.

"We don't know." Vega replied with a stutter, the hulking man suddenly seeming so small and timid. Liara could sense his discomfort as he spoke, but she could also see the expression of guilt and sadness behind his eyes. She had no time for over emotional humans. She needed to know where her bond mate was…now.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Vega rubbed his neck once again, unable to answer.

"She got captured. By Cerberus. The distress beacon was a trap.." Alex's voice suddenly spoke from behind her, quiet but firm. Liara turned to the human, then back to James.

"What?" The Asari stuttered, unable to process the information.

James looked down at the floor, unable to meet Liara's eyes.

"She tried to help a colonist. But then she got pinned…told us to leave her."

Liara's mouth opened and closed, her eyes widening at the man's comment.

"And you did!"

"We had no choice. She was surrounded and we were about to get overrun!" James argued, his hands moving up, palms facing outwards in a defensive gesture.

"You could have at least tried. Who knows where she is now!" Liara paused, a sudden realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Who knows what they are doing to her."

"I did try doc. She ordered me to go!"

Liara sighed, turning away from the young Lieutenant. He could see the tension in the young maiden's shoulders, the anger in her eyes and an expression of worry cross her flawless features. The Asari sighed, her shoulders sinking as shining tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Alex watched her from where she sat. She knew those feeling all too well. She felt them now…just as she had all those years ago.

"How do we find her?" Liara asked suddenly, her expression suddenly a mask of determination. James shrugged.

"That's what we are working on." A new voice suddenly entered the conversation. Liara turned, watching as Ashley walked towards them, followed closely by Miranda.

"Miss Lawson says that there are at least fifteen Cerberus bases on Sylar. To search them all would take weeks if not months. We don't have the time, the man power or the resources to carry out such a mission." Ashley said, standing much like Shepard did when she gave a speech.

"So, our best shot is to find Daral." Miranda interjected.

"Find Daral, find Shepard." Ashley continued.

Vega cleared his throat from behind Liara.

"That's a great plan, except for one thing. That Pendejo we have in integration isn't saying a thing. Not even when Shepard threatened to throw him out the airlock."

The room was silent once more, the realisation of the situation suddenly dawning. All eyes moved towards Liara as she broke the silence, her voice holding a venomous note as she spoke.

"Then we are going to have to turn that threat into a reality." She did not utter another word as she started towards the elevator, leaving four confused humans behind her. Ashley broke the silence first.

"What exactly does she mean by that?"

Alex watched as the three soldiers quickly followed Liara. Maybe that Asari wasn't so bad after all.

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 **Well there you have it. Next chapter should be up soon. Hoped you enjoyed this one. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks. :)**


	15. Disguising the truth

**Hey guys, sorry this chapter has been so long, it's only short but for some reason my writers block has come back full force!**

 **Please read and review**

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Chapter 14:

When Liara had arrived in the brig, she wasted no time making her way towards Gorack's cell, a deep scowl fixed on her face as she rushed passed the guards stationed on the lower decks of the ship. When the Alliance had suggested installing the cells in an unused part of the ship, Shepard had been adamantly against it, seeing no reason why _her_ ship needed prison cells, so it had surprised and angered Liara when Selena had finally agreed after a chat with the Admirals, but now, she found herself silently thanking the goddess they were here.

"What have you got planned?" Ashley asked as she walked beside her, Miranda following closely behind. When Liara ignored her, Ashley grabbed her arm, spinning the Asari round to face her.

"I can't have you putting this crew in danger over some stupid overemotional action T'soni." Ashley said, standing her ground as Liara sneered at her. She had never seen the Asari so angry before.

"I am not going to put the crew in danger Lieutenant." Liara answered, pulling from the humans grasp. "I am just going to talk to him."

Ashley raised her eyebrows as Miranda scoffed behind them.

"Last time you wanted information from someone, you threatened to flay them alive with your mind." Miranda spoke up, Liara's face softened slightly, a dark shade of purple speckling her cheeks.

"I wasn't really going to do it." She defended. "Besides this is Shepard. Are we just going to leave her to her fate after everything she has done for us?" Liara asked, looking between the two women with an eager expression. "We have to at least try. What else are we going to do?"

Ashley was silent for a moment, as if thinking hard of what to say next. Finally she nodded.

"If you do anything that I deem a threat to this ship, I put a stop to the _talk._ Is that understood?" Ashley asked, Liara sighed and turned away. Ashley grabbed her turning her round once again.

"Is that understood?" Ashley's voice held the authoritative tone that reminded Liara of Shepard. The Asari nodded.

"Completely."

As they approached Gorack's cell, Liara could not help the tingle of anticipation run down her spine, Ashley and Miranda followed her closely, their own postures tense.

Gorack lay on the simple bed that rested against the wall of the glass cell, his fingers tapping on his stomach as he hummed quietly to himself. He did not seem to notice as Liara approached, choosing to hum louder as the young maiden came to a sudden stop. She stood there for a moment, glaring at the alien in front of her, waiting for him to look at her. When he finally did, he smiled smugly in her direction, baring his grey needle like teeth.

"Get up." Liara said sternly, Gorack chuckled and stood from the bed, slowly walking towards the energy field that trapped him.

"What's this?" he said with a patronising tone, all four of his eyes looking Liara up and down, a sick smile painting his pale green skin. "I wasn't aware the Normandy employed strippers."

"Where is Daral?" Liara asked, ignoring Gorack's attempts to anger her. The Baterian chuckled, a throaty noise that made the young maiden shiver.

"Oh I see, Commander Shepard has sent you to fight her battles for her." Gorack stepped closer to the field that contained him, the shield shimmering blue as he approached. "How cowardly of her. How…human."

"She is anything but a coward." Liara snarled, Gorack chuckled at her outburst.

"Then why are you here…instead of her?" The Baterian questioned, his eyes narrowing smugly. Liara debated whether to tell the Baterian the truth, not wanting to give the... _thing_ that stood in front of her any sense of joy. She breathed deeply before responding.

"The Commander has been captured. Taken by Cerberus."

Gorack's smile widened, jumping for joy at Liara's words.

"That's the best news I've heard all day." Liara's eyes narrowed. "I hope she suffers greatly before she dies." Liara's hand clenched tightly at her side. "I just regret that I can't be there to watch the show."

Liara could feel her eye twitch slightly, a hot anger building in her chest, threatening to blow. She practised the breathing exercises her mother had taught her. She could not lose her temper now. Shepard was counting on her.

"Tell me where Daral is. Now."

"Why, so you can launch a rescue mission" Gorack chuckled again. "I don't think so. That murderer deserves everything she gets and more."

Liara flinched at Gorack's words, her biotics flaring as she grew angry.

"And when she is dead, the Baterian people will rejoice."

Liara glared at the Baterian, breathing in and out, slowly, deliberately, then, an idea struck her and suddenly, she smiled, her posture relaxing.

"You will tell me where I can find Daral." She said sweetly, the anger that had rested in her chest suddenly dissipating.

"Or what?"

"I believe Commander Shepard already explained what would happen" Liara said, the smile tugging at her lips making Gorack shift uncomfortably. All four eyes narrowed as she continued.

"You see each one of these cells is rigged to depressurise at the press of a button, the effects on your body would resemble much of what it would be like to be out in space without a suit." Gorack shifted once more, his body stiffening. "I believe Commander Shepard already explained what would happen to you if that were to occur?"

Liara clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward towards the blue shield that only grew brighter the nearer she got. Gorack stood still, his lips curled inwards in a timid snarl. She spoke as if she were giving a lecture.

"I know how a Baterian's lack of intelligence can make them forget so easily, so let me explain it…one more time."

She smiled before she continued.

"Firstly you will experience a numbness of the body, then as the lack of pressure starts to take hold, you will begin to experience convulsions as your blood vessels start to expand to a point your body will begin to swell and tear. Your heart rate will rise and breathing would become near to imposable. Eventfully your lungs would rupture, and you will freeze and suffocate all at the same time. So unless you do not want to suffer that terrible fate, I suggest you tell me where I can find Daral." Liara finished her speech, her eyes growing dark as her biotics flared brighter. Gorack swallowed hard, his breathing laboured. He blinked twice, his eyes unfocused

"You're bluffing." He finally said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "The Normandy is an Alliance vessel. The Alliance would not risk political backlash over one solider. Even if it is their precious Commander Shepard." His voice shook slightly as he spoke. Liara's biotics only grew brighter as she grinned.

"True…but I am not Alliance."

Liara took a sick pleasure in the way Gorack noticeably flinched, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. For the first time, Gorack looked towards Ashley, his eyes filled with what she could only describe as fear.

"You're Alliance. You can't do that!" he pleaded, Ashley shrugged her shoulders.

"Technically, I stopped being Alliance when they made me a Spectre. Anything I do, doesn't actually have to involve the Alliance what so ever."

Moving from her relaxed position leaning on the wall, Ashley came to a stop beside Liara, a smug expression setting on her face. Gorack turned towards Miranda, pleading eyes growing large. Miranda smirked before checking for invisible dirt under her nails.

"Don't look at me." She said. "I don't even like your kind."

"So, my friend and I are going to ask you one more time…" Ashley continued. Gorack's attention was forced towards the two females in front of him.

"Where. Is. Daral?"

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 **Hope you enjoyed, please!**

 **Next chapter up soon. Please read and review.**


	16. The Grunt behind the Officer

**Hello, Hello, Hello!**

 **So sorry this chapter has been so long, I had some trouble writing it...mainly because I had no idea where this story was going, but now I do and the updates will be faster.**

 **I hope you like the chapter, the next few chapters are going to be a lot more exiting. I just needed to add Aethyta in here somewhere, she is such an awesome character and she is voiced by Claudia black, so that's a huge bonus!**

 **Anyway, please read and tell me what you think, feedback is always welcome.**

* * *

There were voices around her. Muffled, distorted, robotic. They spoke in harsh tones as she opened her eyes, squinting against the bright lights that burned bright above her. Hazy silhouettes floated in and out of her vision, pain screaming in her head as she tried in vain to move her arms and legs. They seemed heavy and numb, as she pulled against the weight that held them down hands forced her arms back to the cold surface she lay on.

Her mouth was dry and her lips were sore and chapped, her throat itched and she frowned as she tasted blood. She opened and closed her eyes, trying to focus, but her attempts only caused black spots to cloud her vision. Opening her mouth to speak, all she could muster was a rasping groan.

She felt hands on her arms, blurry silhouettes suddenly appearing above her like black ghosts. She moved her head timidly to stare at each of them, the lights above her seeming to get brighter with every passing second. There was a ringing in her ears and suddenly, the pain in her head intensified.

"She's waking up again." One of the strangers above her spoke, her voice muffled as she held a vial to the light, something long and sharp in her hands.

"I told you to keep her sedated." Another voice, male, accented. The man held himself with a certain unnerving authority, unnatural eyes glowing through the darkness.

"I did sir. We keep upping the dosage but she still keeps waking up."

"That's not good enough."

"Sir we have given her enough to sedate a Krogan. If we give her any more she could-"

"-I don't care what you do. Just keep her sedated. I don't want her waking up and escaping."

"Why do we not just begin the process now sir?"

"She is not ready yet. Do not question me again."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir."

The voices seemed to echo in her ears, becoming more and more unintelligible and resounded. Breathing had become harder, a tight clamping on her lungs that made breathing almost imposable. Her heart pounded in her chest, beating in rhythm with the drowned out beeping beside her.

Blue eyes stared down at her with an unsettling coldness, making her shiver. She stared up at him, unable to place his voice, unable to see through her ever darkening vision. She tried to reach out to him, her arm unable to move from its uncomfortable position by her side. She felt a sharp pain in the crook of her arm, felt a strange tingling sensation move up her bicep, then the lights above her began to dim, until she fell into a restless sleep.

James was amazed at how quickly the Citadel had been rebuilt. It was almost as if the war had never happened. He gazed around at the high reaching walls of the Presidium, large open windows looking out over the meticulously well-kept gardens and pastel blue holographic skies. The young solider watched as people hurried about on the streets below, going about their busy lives without a care in the world.

His eyes moved to the larger than life statue of his Commander, a towering figure that stood in the middle of the Presidium Commons, one hand holding a rifle, the other holding the dangling dog tags of fallen comrades. Shepard had hated the statue the very first time she had seen it. She had always said that she was just one solider, if she got a stature, why didn't everyone else? She was not a fan of the fame that came with being the three time savour of the galaxy, she had always said that she 'just _wanted to blow stuff up'._

James could feel a smile tugging at his lips as he remembered that conversation, Liara had rolled her eyes, Garrus had raised his drink in agreement and Shepard had smiled goofily at the Asari and kissed her cheek.

He could remember when she first started appearing in the vids all those years ago, the first human spectre. He had idolised her, like many others in the galaxy, watched her save the Citadel the first time, defended her decision to sacrifice the council, mourned her when she died, then hated her when she started working for Cerberus.

He was there when she turned herself in, watched as the Alliance stripped her of everything she had worked for, he watched as she took all the accusations, the threats, the humiliation with a stoic expression, then witnessed her breakdown through the cameras in her room. It was then, he finally saw the solider she was, the solider, who was forced to make the tough decisions of killing a thousand, so she could save a million.

It was then he saw the woman under the armour.

The human, behind all the fame and glory.

The grunt behind the officer.

His respect for her returned like a punch to the gut.

Whenever she said she didn't deserve a statue, he would always say no one deserved it more.

Lifting his drink to his lips he drank hungrily, letting the burning green liquid in his glass slide down his throat and warm his stomach, he made a face at the foul taste of the Asari version of Tequila.

"Non me jodas!" he said, making a face as if he had just eaten an entire lemon. "That's disgusting!"

The Asari behind the bar shook her head, snatching the glass from the bar to clean.

"You're not supposed to drink it all in one go you idiot." She said, her husky voice filled with humour. James looked up at the Matriarch and smirked. He still couldn't believe it was Liara's father. He knew the Asari species were mono-gendered, but every time he thought about it, it hurt his brain.

"Aren't Asari meant to be kind?" James joked, leaning forward. Aethyta scowled. At her look, James shrunk back into his chair.

"Forget I said anything."

A sudden presence beside him made James turn in his chair, Liara now sat beside him, a small smile on her face.

"Is it done?" James asked. Liara nodded

"Yes. My agents tell me that Daral is on his way to meet the buyer." Liara explained. "All you have to do, is keep him talking and I will download the data from his omni-tool. That way, I can sift through the information and find the location of the base."

Aethyta watched the two from her place behind the bar, a curious expression on her face.

"So tell me again why your here. Not that I don't like the company, but normally when Shepard's around…stuff breaks."

James chuckled slightly.

"Father, Shepard's been taken by Cerberus. We need to get the location of the base she has been taken to from the slaver that's been supplying Cerberus with humans to experiment on."

"I am here posing as the buyer Daral is going to meet. I get him talking to distract him from Liara and so it's easier to go through the info. We find out where Cerberus are hiding, we go in, get Shepard and save the day!" James lifted his hands in the air, a triumphant smile on his face. Aethyta looked unimpressed.

"Right. So what happened when the actual buyer shows up? Aethyta asked. Liara answered quickly.

"He has been dealt with."

Both James and Aethyta turned to look at her, shock and worry on their faces.

"You didn't kill the guy did you?"

"Of course not father. I may have just let some information slip that he was a criminal. Now C-SEC has him in their custody ready to go to jail for the rest of his miserable life."

James shifted uncomfortably beside the young Maiden.

"Remind me never to piss you off." He said, Aethyta chuckled from her place behind the bar.

"At least you didn't threaten to flay the guy alive."

Liara sighed, her eyes narrowing angry at her father's jab.

"That was one time. You're never going to let that go are you?" she asked, her voice raising slightly, attracting the attention of a human couple the other side of the bar. Aethyta raised her arms defensively, a cheeky smirk parting her lips.

"Alright, calm down. You don't have to go all blood rage on me."

Liara's hand went to her face, rubbing her eyes in frustration. Aethyta chuckled to herself as she wiped down the bar.

"Well, time to put your little plan in to motion kid. Here comes the guy now."

James peered over his shoulder, watching as a dark skinned Baterian approached him. The alien was tall, taller than any Baterian he had seen, with a large protruding belly that hung over a tight waste band. He wore expensive clothes, royal red with a white trim. The vibrant colours covering his body contrasting well with the dark, almost black markings on his face.

He sat next to James without saying a word, ordering a drink from the bar. The bright yellow liquid was placed in front of him and he drank it in one gulp. James waited for him to speak.

"I am a very busy human. "He finally said, turning his black eyes to face the marine. "The only reason I am here, is because you offered a substantial about of credits to meet you. Make it quick."

James shifted his body to face Daral. One eye watching as Liara attempted to decrypt the slavers Omni-tool "I want to buy a slave from you. But not just any slave."

Daral's eyes narrowed at the humans words.

"Get to the point."

"I want a female…human…to keep me warm at night."

"Go on." Darla continued.

"Rumour has it. You have one in-particular human in stock." James hated himself for talking about the slaves like cattle, but he had to stay in character. "A particular female Commander…Savour of the Galaxy."

"What are you talking about?" Daral asked, his voice raising suddenly as he leaned in closer to the hulking marine. James watched over the Baterian's shoulder as Liara made a face. The decryption was taking longer than usual. Vega continued.

"My contacts tell me that one of your slaver vessels attacked a small colony out in the traverse. Shepard appeared to save the day but never came back."

Daral snarled, showing his needle like teeth.

"I don't know what you are talking about human."

"Ah come on buddy. Don't hold out on me."

"You contacts are wrong!" He said. "And even if I did have that murderer, the only place for her would be in my trophy case!"

Suddenly, Daral's Omni-tool beeped, a high pitched alarm causing him to look down at his arm. Liara withdrew quickly, but not quick enough. Daral growled, shooting from his chair. Glaring between James and the Asari beside him.

"What is this!?" He shouted, his hand moving to his side. "I should have known never to have trusted a human!"

Before Daral could pull his pistol from its holster, a bright blue bolt hit him square in the chest, sending him flying across the bar. The alien's body hit the far wall with a sickening crack. His body slumping to the floor with a dull thud. James and Liara looked towards the bar, open mouthed, Aethyta's long slender body still glowing with a cloud of blue.

"What ever happened to doing things the old fashioned way?"

* * *

 **Well there you have the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and the next chapter will be up soon. Very soon! Please leave a review!**


	17. Project Awakening

**The next chapter is up! Yay! lol.**

 **It is only a short chapter, but I enjoyed writing this one. :) I hope you enjoy. More to come very soon! Please read and leave a review, tell me what you think. I have gone over it a few times, but for some reason, my spell** **check on word has decided it wants to be Spanish...**

 **Also, I need some feedback on my N7 build for Con this October, It is not finished, but some feedback would be welcome!**

 **Fanfic wont let me post a link here, but just type ivysrambles on Google and it should be there!**

 **Many Thanks!**

 **AW**

* * *

Liara rubbed her temples for what seemed like a hundredth time, blinking her eyes against the harsh white glare of her screens. She scanned the data that scrolled in front of her, searching for any information that could help her find her bond mate. Masses of data from Daral's Omni-tool told her he had travelled…a lot. Many places Liara would not like to visit. Evil, violent places that thought of crime as an ambitious and suitable career choice. She had lost track of time hours ago and her dinner lay cold on the table behind her, rehydrated pizza, Sheppard's favourite.

The young maiden suppressed a yawn, shifting her gaze to the data pad of information Miranda had left for her. Every base on Syalar that could have been holding Shepard. The human women had explained that it could not have been any other planet, Sylar offered great isolation for human experimentation, the sun was close enough to the planet to power all their solar generators and Cerberus didn't have to worry about uninvited guests when night fell.

 _"The place is a bloody fortress"_ The Australian women had said, Liara had ignored the woman's doubts, taken to data from her hand and continued working without another word. She didn't care how hard it was going to be, Shepard would not hesitate to launch a rescue mission if it were her that was taken.

So far, she had put all her resources into finding Shepard, offered substantial amounts of money for any information her agents could get her, hacked into known Cerberus com-channels, called in favours to people who owed her and broken at least thirteen galactic privacy laws doing so.

There was a knock at her door, a soft timid sound she probably would have missed if the ship had not been so dead and silent.

"Enter." She said, not taking her eyes of the screens in front of her. Her door hissed open and soft footsteps followed. The Asari glanced towards her visitor, her eyes narrowing as she spied Doctor Alex Carter standing in the doorway. The black haired woman smiled hesitantly, holding out a silver cylindrical object in her hand.

"I brought you some tea." She said quietly. "I have been working in the med bay and noticed you haven't come out of your office for a refill." Taking three tentative steps forward, she held the silver object out towards Liara. "It's called a flask…it's supposed to keep hot drinks hot…so you don't have to keep getting up to get a new drink all the time." Alex cleared her throat nervously as she placed the flask next to Liara, placing her thumbs in her back pocket and moving her gaze to the floor. Liara glanced at the flask, then to the empty cup next to her cold dinner.

"Thank you." She said suddenly, causing Alex to look up at her with large eyes. Liara smiled sweetly, grabbing the flask and unfastening the top. "That was…very kind of you."

Alex smiled with one side of her mouth, rocking on her heels as Liara poured herself a new cup of tea.

"Do you mind if I stay here. Help you with this information. You look like you could use a hand." Alex asked, Liara looked up over the rim of her cup.

"I think I will just fine on my own, Thank you." Liara answered, placing her cup back on the table. Alex sighed.

"Look, I know you don't like me. But I can't help but feel partially responsible for what's happened. "

Liara took small steps towards the human. Narrowing her eyes.

"Partially?"

Alex bit the inside of her lip.

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted to help people. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt and I definitely didn't mean for Selena to get captured." Alex paused, trying to hold back both anger and tears. "I don't know if I could live with myself if anything happened to her."

Liara was silent as Alex spoke, sensing that her words were genuine.

"She saved my life on Mindoir, even at the age of sixteen she was the hero she is now. Always putting others before herself, running towards the danger instead of away from it. It was the reason I fell in love with her…it's the reason I am still in love with her."

To Alex's surprise, Liara's face softened as she turned to listen. Alex lips trembled.

"When we kissed, it was the best feeling in the world…but there was something missing... She loves you now." Alex's eyes brimmed with tears. "I can see it in her eyes, I can see it in the way she looks at you...the way she smiles when you speak, the way she blushes every time you enter the room or touch her hand..." Alex's gaze drifted lazily, as if daydreaming. Liara was silent as the human spoke, a hint of sadness in her tone.

"She use to look at me like that. That stupid lopsided smile of hers that just makes you feel loved and safe. It used to be reserved only for me...in another life."

Liara opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Alex's words had left her speechless. Alex was about to say something further when a word on the screen caught her eye.

She glanced over the screens, reading the information that skimmed in front of her. She frowned, squinting her eyes as a recurring word that stood out against the mass of information and data from Daral's Omni-tool. She read the word again, and again and again.

 _Operation Awakening_

"Could you slow this down please?"

Liara looked back at the data then moved her gaze to Alex, brought back to reality by the sudden change in the woman's expression. The tears were gone, replaced by a determined glare.

"Why?" She asked cautiously, Alex thought for a moment, trying to remember where she had heard that name before. Then it hit her.

"I vaguely remember the doctors we were working with talking about Operation Awakening. I…overheard them talking about it."

Liara frowned, but silently complied. The Asari typed commands into her console, cross-referencing the data from Dara's Omni-tool to the information Shepard had gathered from the first base on Sylar. The data slowed down, then flashed, Information on Project Awakening filling the screen. Liara skimmed the data, a worried smile tugging at her lips.

"I think we have found it." Liara whispered. Alex stared open mouthed at the mass of data on the screen. But it was all there. Location, information, previous experiments and details.

"I think we have found Shepard."

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 **I know this is a little bit of a short chapter, but I quite enjoyed writing the little bot between Liara and Alex. Next chapter will be up soon. Hope you enjoyed, Please leave a review!**


	18. Watch the Sky

**Hope you enjoy this next chapter, really had trouble writing this for some reason, been pretty busy with work and life lately. Please tell me what you think.**

 **Please read and review**

 **A.W**

 _Alex giggled as Selena kissed her neck, playfully squirming away from the soft pecks that tickled her skin. The older girl chuckled against the nape of her neck, wrapping a powerful arm around Alex's waist. The red head lifted her face, smiling dreamily down at the girl that lay amidst the long wet grass. Alex smiled back up at the tanned skinned troublemaker, lifting her hand to play with Selena's shoulder length hair._

 _"So did you ask me out here for any other reason other than to drink beer?" Alex asked, prompting a childlike grin from the other girl._

 _Selena rolled on to her back, glancing at the clock interface on her omni-tool._

 _"I wanted to show you something." She said, starring up at the sky. "3, 2...1. Watch the sky."_

 _Alex did as she was told, moving her own gaze towards the star filled sky. In an instant, the sky was filled with a brilliant light, a rainbow of colours dancing against the black canvas of the night. Bright white streaks of white shot across the sky, looking as if they were falling to the planet's surface. Alex gasped, moving into a sitting position, her mouth open in amazement. She could see Selena grinning at her._

 _"It happens every 10 years. It's caused by the planet passing through an asteroid debris field." Selena explained. "The light show occurs when charged particles from the sun enter the planet's atmosphere." She continued, a wistful smile on her face._

 _"It's absolutely beautiful."_

 _Alex tore her gaze away from the sky, placing her hand on top of Selena's. Selena leaned in slowly, placing a gentle kiss on Alex's lips. A deafening sound made them jump apart, looking up towards the sky once more. A ball of fire crashed towards the planet's surface, followed by an enormous metal object in the sky. The two girls stared open mouthed as a ship passed over them, hurtling towards the main colony._

 _"What was that?" Alex asked, Selena shook her head in disbelief._

 _"I don't know." She stuttered. She stood, looking through the trees towards the colony, when a ball of fire erupted in the distance. Alex shot to her feet, grabbing Selena's arm tightly._

 _"Oh my God!" Alex gasped, pulling Selena closer to her as another explosion shook the ground._

 _""Stay here." Selena shouted, starting towards the colony. Alex pulled her closer once more, tightening her grasp on Selena' arm._

 _"Where are you going?" Alex asked,_

 _"To the colony, people could be hurt." Selena said, pulling away from Alex's grasp._

 _"I'm coming with you."_

 _"No Alex stay here." Selena said, holding out her hand to stop her girlfriend. "Stay and hide, I will be back soon."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Alex, don't argue with me. I don't want you to get hurt. I will come back for you." Selena grasped Alex's face gently. "I promise."_

 _Without another word, Selena raced towards the colony, leaving Alex alone in the dark._

 _When she reached the colony, she froze behind the cover of some trees, starring open mouthed at the horror before her. Fire blazed everywhere she looked, tall infernos of red and orange reaching up towards the sky. Terrified screams pierced her ears, gunfire and shouting echoing as marching footsteps and black clad figures appeared like ghosts through the destruction. She pushed herself against the tree, lowering herself to the ground as she watched black clad figures shoot at the colonists, dragging both men, women and children towards large primitive cages._

 _Selena squinted through the smoky black haze that blanketed the small colony, her eyes resting on the seemingly untouched house at the end of the path. Her family home. She turned her gaze back towards the heavily armoured figures, gasping as she watched them attach small collar like devices to the backs of their victim's necks. She fought the urge to cover her ears when they screamed._

 _She took three deep breaths, trying desperately to control her shaking limbs. She focused on her destination, then broke off into a run, she hadn't made it more than a few feet before an explosion threw her against a nearby container, her body flying through the air as she was knocked sideways, hitting the hard metallic surface with bone breaking force. Her head slammed against the floor, causing her vision to blur._

 _It was only then she noticed the tall black clad figure that watched her. A smoking rifle in his hands. As he approached, Selena crawled away, the silver collar in his hand glinting against the harsh glow of the fire._

 _He raised his weapon towards her, his finger twitching on the trigger._

She woke with a start, a strangled gasp escaping her lips as her eyes flew open in shock. The sudden motion caused white hot pain to shoot pierce her skull, causing her to moan and turn her face away from the bright lights above her.

She pulled weakly against the cold metal bindings that restrained her wrists and ankles, groaning as her muscles protested against the slightest movement. Peeking through half closed eyelids, blurred images of metallic machines, pristine white walls and flashing consoles started to become clearer, her eyes slowly started to adjust to the brightness around her, but it didn't stop the queasy sensation in her stomach, the ringing in her ears or the dizziness that overtook her brain.

She tried to shake the memories of her dream, the horrors of events that happened more than fifteen years ago still fresh in her head. The thin sheen of sweat that covered her head tickled her skin as she attempted to open her eyes fully, unable to stop the queasy feeling that suddenly hit her.

"You are going to feel quite nauseous for a little while Commander." An accented voice rang through her ears, a hint of humour contained in its gravelly tone. "An unfortunate side effect of fighting the sedative I am afraid." Shepard turned her head towards the voice, narrowing her eyes defiantly, the small movement causing a rush of dizziness to overtake her once more. She tried to control the shaking of her muscles, not wanting to appear weak in front of her captor.

"I noticed some rapid eye moment when you were asleep…dreams I suppose?" Mr Smith asked, standing from the stool he sat on to move closer to Selena, she watched him approach, her body stiffening ever so slightly. "A side effect of choosing to be a solider." Shepard resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"And you would know this how?" Selena asked, swallowing the sickening feeling that crawled up her throat.

"Believe it or not Commander, we are not so different." Smith said. "We are both soldiers, we both live our lives by a code of honour. We both are forced to make the tough decisions that can affect millions of lives. "

Shepard could not help the scowl that crossed her features "There is nothing honourable about turning people in to monsters!" Selena shouted, pulling against her restraints in anger. Smith sighed, a disappointed look crossing his features.

"Once again you fail to see the bigger picture Commander. My experiments will save humanity, think of all the lives that could be saved. The subjects are all soldiers, they have chosen to protect humanity against all odds. " Smith explained, Shepard saw more of the illusive man in him with every word he spoke. "They are being improved, no longer do they feel pain, or hunger. No longer are they burdened with their past, no longer do their emotions get in the way of completing their mission. They are stronger and smarter." He paced as he spoke, his hands moving with every word he said.

Shepard could feel the anger boil inside of her at his words.

"They're attack dogs." She stated, Mr Smith turned, his brilliant blue eyes flashing in anger as he turned sharply, his voice raising.

"Think about it! Instead of sending one thousand soldiers to fight a war you can send one hundred. Soldiers that will follow orders no matter the cost."

"Put it anyway you want Smith. They are nothing but slaves."

Smith took a deep breath, straightening his suit as the door behind him hissed open. Shepard kept eye contact, ignoring the painful throbbing in her head. Two doctors walked through the door, one of them carrying a metal box in his hands. Smith glanced behind him, his lips tinning.

"I am sorry you feel that way Shepard. But you will soon come to realise that I am right."

He turned towards the two doctors, lifting the lid of the box and gently pulling something small and silver from its depths. Shepard recognized it instantly, unconsciously turning away from the device as fear surged through her.

"I see you know what one of these collars are. Barbaric contraption I admit, but we have made some adjustments. A control collar and control chip, all in one." Smith turned, handing the collar to one of the doctors. Selena tried to move away as the doctor approached her.

"I didn't want it to end up like this Commander, but you leave me no choice."

Selena screamed as the sharp prongs of the collar pierced through the skin of her neck, her vision blurring as pain surged through her head. Smith turned to leave through the door, leaving Shepard to her fate.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter the collar might have had a little bit of influence from Fallout 3...but only a little. lol**

 **Please leave a review.**


	19. To Rescue, or Not to Rescue?

**Sorry this chapter took so long to post. I have been pretty busy with my cosplay, which I am happy to announce to all finished!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter. I made it nice and long for you.**

 **Please leave a review.**

* * *

Ashley Williams stared at the holographic image that floated in front of her, an array of brilliant reds and dark blues hovering over the circular war terminal as she tried to etch every detail of the map to memory.

With the help of Alex and Miranda, Liara had finally managed to narrow down the Commanders location, piecing together a map from the information obtained from both the salve ship and Daral's Omni-tool and scans of the planet. She barely listened to the droning sound of Miranda's voice, staring through hologram as the Ex Cerberus officer explained what kind of resistance they would meet upon entering the base.

"This place is built like a fortress. Automated torrent systems both inside and outside the compound, anti-aircraft guns, a ton of mechs and army of troopers, not to mention, Cerberus's new shiny super soldiers." As Miranda continued, Ashley fought the urge the shoot her right between her perfectly engineered brows.

"If we do somehow manage to land on the planet undetected and fight our way into the base. We would still have the task of finding Shepard and getting her out of there."

"What, you don't think we will find her?" Garrus spoke up from beside James, his mandibles twitching in annoyance as he crossed his arms over her chest. Miranda shrugged absent-mindedly, placing her hands on her hips.

"All I am saying is the facility is one of the biggest Cerberus has ever built, It stretches for miles underground and is purposely built like a maze to confuse intruders. Put that with the army of soldiers that are going to be trying to stop us and we practically have a suicide mission."

"Just like old times!" Garrus said happily, an expression of what Miranda could only assume was a smile appearing on his face. James pumped his fists beside the Turian, the hulking marine cheering loudly and he too, smiled widely.

"That's what we specialise in baby!" Vega chuckled, punching the air one more time.

"That's is true. But we had Shepard to lead us back then. No offence Miss Williams, but I highly doubt you have what it takes."

Ashley swallowed her anger once more. Crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "You don't think I can lead this team. I am perfectly qualified to lead this mission and make it a success. We will save Shepard?"

"Your records state otherwise Miss Williams. I don't think you have half of what it takes to lead this mission and as for Shepard…I don't think she is going to just come quietly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashley said, biting the inside of her lip. Her fingers were twitching the wrap around her pistol. For once, there was a flicker of emotion on Miranda's face. Her shoulders sagged slightly and her lips thinned.

"Think about it. Shepard had been gone for a little over three days. She is in a Cerberus cells hands. The same Cerberus cell that has been turning people in to super soldiers. What's a better way to get their revenge for destroying them during the reaper war?" Miranda paused, waiting for someone to answer.

"Killing her…or turning her against everything she fought for."

The room was silent once more, the hum of the Normandy's engines and the low whine of the hologram, the only sounds to interrupt the otherwise deafening silence. It was a while before anyone spoke. The realisation of their own Commander being turned against them both a heart-breaking and terrifying thought. Ashley was the first to break the silence, straightening her back as her face took on a stoic expression.

"I don't care how hard this mission is going to be. Our Commander needs us. It's time for us to pull her ass out the fire for a change. A talented hacker can hake in to the systems momentary triggering an alarm on the upper levels of the base. When security are concentrated on the fake invasion, a small group consisting of Liara, Garrus, James and myself will enter through the lower levels using these tunnels." Ashley pointed to the long tunnel system below the base. "While the hacker is setting off the Alarms at random points on the upper level, our team will go in, find Shepard and get her out of there."

Miranda shook her head in disagreement.

"Once the security systems realise there is someone in the system, they will shut the hacker out. You will only have ten minutes before they realise what you are doing and send an army to the lower levels."

Ashley straightened up again, the holographic image suddenly disappearing.

"Good thing ten minutes is all we need." Ashley said, straightening her jacket.

Miranda sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Fine, but I am coming with you." Miranda stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Like hell you are." Ashley retorted. "Shepard may have trusted you, but I don't."

"Well then good luck navigating that faculty without me." Miranda replied, glancing at the solider with a smug expression. Ashley sighed, her lips tinning.

"Fine." She tapped her ear. "Joker. Set a course for Sylar. We are going to go get our Commander back! "

Soft static could be heard before Joker replied.

"About time!"

"We will have a full run through of the plan in the shuttle bay in half an hour. All of you suit up, we have a Commander to save. Dismissed."

Miranda watched quietly as Ashley walked out of the room, an authoritative hop in her step. She smiled faintly, her eyes watching as the young spectre disappeared from sight

Maybe Williams did have it in her. This plan of hers was crazy, but then again, Shepard's plans were never exactly 'by the book.'

Miranda took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

Suddenly, she felt like an idiot. An egotistical, selfish idiot. Shepard had helped her immensely in the past, she had helped save her sister twice, forgiven her when she confessed about the control chip and the woman had saved her life more times than she could count, but suddenly, when it came to helping Shepard, Miranda didn't think twice about letting her die.

She sighed heavily. She was lying to herself again. It was not that she didn't want to risk her life to save the Commander. She had never been afraid of death. She was, however, terrified of what they would find. Would they find the woman she had come to greatly respect and admire, the woman she would even go as far as call her friend. Or would they find the mindless shell that Cerberus had reduced her to. Commander Selena Shepard, the woman who had overcome so much in her life, the woman who had saved the galaxy three times over, nothing but a drone. An attack dog for an enemy she fought so hard to destroy. An enemy that Miranda once called her family.

She watched as the others slowly filtered out of the room, leaving without a backwards glance in her direction. She sighed, moving her gaze towards the last few occupants in the room. She frowned as the tech crew quickly looked away from her and again, she felt a pang of guilt surge through her chest.

She steeled her expression, before following the rest of the crew to the shuttle bay.

* * *

It was getting cold, very cold. James shivered in his armour as the shuttle descended on the planet, a few miles away from the facility. They had at least three more hours of sunlight, but as the sun was dipping behind the rocky red mountains of the planet, the temperature had dropped considerably.

He hated the cold with a passion. He grew up near the beach, sun, sand and about three hundred days of perfect sunny weather. He tried to stop his teeth from chattering as he listened to his acting commander speak. He had to admit, Ashley reminded him of Shepard…a lot.

"From what we can tell, the medical labs are located in the basement of the faculty, since they are holding Shepard, expect heavy resistance." She said, her voice distorted through the radio in her helmet.

"Initial scans of the planet have shown thermal energy readings exactly a mile away from the base, we can safely assume that they are utility tunnels that lead into the faculty. We will be entering through these tunnels to infiltrate the base without detection."

"You mean we're infiltrating the base through steam tunnels?" James asked, the temperature in the shuttle become more and more apparent with each passing movement. Ashley nodded.

"Exactly."

James shrugged.

"Well, at least we'll be warm."

"LZ, coming up in two minutes Ma'am!" Cortez shouted over the hum of the engines. Ashley nodded in confirmation then moved her hand to the radio in her helmet.

"Are you almost ready Tali?" She asked, the crackled response of the Quarian met her ears seconds later.

"Ready to hack in to the system on your orders."

"Good. Thanks again for helping us out. I know you've been busy with the fleet and Rannoch?" Ashley answered.

"If it were not for Shepard, Rannoch would still be in Geth hands. The fleet can survive one day without me."

"Good to hear."

Ashley felt the familiar jolt of the shuttle landing

"I can't keep this stationary for long Ma'am. The engines already beginning to freeze!" James declared. Ashley punched the door controls, her weapon held protectively in front of her.

"Confirmed. I will send you the NAV point for pick up." Ashley said, James nodded.

"I will be there Ma'am."

"Let's go!" Ashley ordered.

Liara and Garrus were the first to exit the shuttle, then Miranda, following Ashley as she marched towards the entrance of the tunnels.

"Wish us luck Esteban!" James shouted before following his three comrades. The thermal upgrades to his suit did nothing to fight off the bitter cold as he stepped off the shuttle, his skin already feeling as if it was freezing.

"Is everyone ready?" Ashley asked, everyone nodded. She moved to the door, blowing the lock.

"Let's move."

* * *

"This hatch should lead into the facility's engine room." Miranda's voice echoed through the dark enclosed space of the tunnel. The dim white light illuminating a long metal ladder in front of her. They had been walking for at least thirty minutes, Miranda in front, Ashley behind her, and the rest of the crew walking in single file behind.

The tunnel was excruciatingly narrow, scorching hot pipes trailing along either side of the dark grey concrete of the tunnel. There would be the occasional burst of steam that exploding from the pipes above, a loud hissing sound as the white mist filled the tunnel, only to dissipate seconds later. One had shattered James's shields as he walked past, suddenly making him wish he were outside again. Thank god for heavy armour.

They ascended the ladder without a word, pushing open the hatch to reveal a deserted engine room. Liara glanced round, the Asari taking in the many towering servers and advanced mechanical consoles.

"What is all this stuff?" James asked from behind her, Liara turned as Miranda answered.

"It takes a lot to power a facility as big as this. All this equipment was…borrowed from advanced races."

"You mean stolen?" Liara interjected. Miranda shrugged.

"However you want to put it." The Ex Cerberus officer looked down at her Omni-tool, the bright orange glow of the device illuminated the scowl on her face.

"The medical labs should not be too far from here. The corridors are going to be swarming with troopers, if Tali is going to hack into the system, now would be a good time."

Ashley nodded, activating her radio.

"Tali, you're up."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, loud and shrill. Liara cringed at the sound.

"I am setting off the alarms at random places on the higher floors. You have ten minutes to find the Commander." Tali's voice sounded through the radio. Ashley peeked through the window next to the door, ducking as a few troopers rushed towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

"Ok let's go."

* * *

James dodged a hail of gunfire as he slid towards cover, his rifle smoking In his hands as he reloaded. Ashley and Garrus pushed themselves against the wall opposite him, both waiting for a break on the gunfire so they could attack and advance. Miranda had been able to push forward, only to get pinned down behind another wall.

They had barely left the engine room before they had run onto a passing patrol, at least seven troopers guarding a corridor with a locked room at the end. Miranda had managed to jam the radio signals before they could call for backup, but it was only a matter of time before there would be an army of troopers descending on the lower floors.

"We don't have much time!" Liara shouted beside James, the young Asari's eyes wide with anger. "Shepard must be in there. Those soldiers are guiding something!"

"We're doing the best we can blue!" James shouted after the thundering sound of gunfire. He peered round the corner, jumping back as more gunfire crackled against the wall.

"Shit!"

Liara stood, her eyes growing dark.

"We don't have time for this!"

Liara stood, rounding the corner, narrowly avoiding a hail of bullets that his the wall beside her head, she rolled to the floor, her body glowing blue as she threw a powerful warp towards a turret. It exploded in a brilliant ball of fire, sending two troopers beside it flying through the air.

Throwing a singularity, she took pleasure in the way the troopers lifted in to the air, smiling before she threw another warp. Another bright explosion sent the rest of the soldiers flying into the walls. Lifeless.

Miranda finished off those who were left.

"Remind me never to piss you off." James said, a hint of humour in his voice. Garrus chuckled.

"You've definitely come a long way from that sweet, innocent scientist we met on Therum" Ashley said. Liara said nothing, turning to the door at the end of the corridor.

"There, that room. They were protecting something, the Commander has to be in there!"

Miranda, can you open it? Ashley asked, her eyes scanning the area for more attackers. The ex-Cerberus officer nodded silently.

Within seconds, the door hissed opened.

Liara's eyes went wide at the sight before her, her lips trembling as the pale, unmoving body of her bond mate lay strapped to the crude medical chair in the centre of the room. James, Ashley, Garrus and Miranda stopped dead behind her, their own eyes resting on the lifeless form of their Commander.

"Selena?" Liara whispered, willing her legs to move to the human's side. Reaching out her hand, she brushed Selena's face, the human's normally warm, tanned skin now a cold sickly grey. Her eyes moved down to the restraints that were still clasped around her wrists.

"Liara…" Miranda's voice said behind her, seeming on the edge of breaking.

"Release the restraints."

Miranda did as she was told, moving to the console and punching in the commands. The restraints opened with a loud clack. Liara's fingers brushed the collar that was still attached to Selena's neck.

"Is she-" Ashley couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, her voice breaking slightly as she bit the inside of her cheek. Liara sniffed, trying desperately to hold back the tears that blurred her vision.

A hiss behind them caused Garrus, Miranda and Ashley in turn.

"What the hell?"

Ashley said to herself, watching as the door slid closed, glowing red.

"That's not good." Miranda said, moving towards the door to inspect it. She glanced at her Omni-tool, her eyes widening. "That's really not good."

"What?" Ashley questioned.

"They know we're here. They have locked us in!"

Liara tore her gaze away from Selena's motionless body.

"Why would they do that?"

A dull beeping caused Liara to turn back to Selena, the collar around her neck blinking as the colour suddenly returned to her face. Her fingers twitched her eyes opening as the human inhaled deeply. She turned to the Asari that hovered above her, pale green eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Shepard?" Liara whispered, grunting as she was knocked back seconds later, an explosion of blue energy sending her flying towards Garrus and Ashley. Shepard swung her legs over the chair and planted her feet firmly on the floor. Rolling her neck slowly from side to side, she finally lifted her gaze to glare at the four intruders before her, her body glowing blue.

"I told you she wasn't going to come quietly." Miranda said to Ashley, the young spectre half turned to her, an angry scowl on her face.

"Just get that fucking door open Lawson!"

Miranda and Ashley barely missed the warp Shepard threw their way, the devastating blast of energy slamming into the wall behind them. Ashley lifted her rifle, her finger twitching on the trigger.

"Don't move another muscle Commander."

Shepard said nothing as she took a threatening step forward. Ashley moved one step back.

"I'm warning you. Stay back!"

Shepard took another step forward. Ashley moved her rifle down, pulling the trigger, she gasped as the bullet connected with it's target, ripping through Selena's leg. Shepard looked down, seemingly un-fazed at the at the deep gash that decorated her left leg. She moved her gaze up slowly, staring through narrowed eyebrows.

Suddenly, Ashley's rifle was on the floor and she had been knocked backwards, Shepard's charge causing her to slam into the wall with bone crushing force. Her vision swam, pain exploding in her head as it connected with the metallic surface of the floor.

She could see through blurry vision as her Commander approached her, stalking towards her like a predator might stalk its prey. Ashley kicked out her leg, her booted foot connecting hard with Shepard's quickly healing leg. Selena staggered backwards, leaving Ashley time to roll to her feet and swing her fist into Shepard's side.

Her Commander recovered quickly, catching Ashley's fist with her own and moving closer. Ashley dodged a punch breaking free from Selena's grasp and moving up for a left hook. She was stopped mid swing, a sharp, burning pain erupting through her torso. Her legs became weak as she moved her gaze towards the source of the pain, her eyes blurring as she spied the long orange blade that pierced her stomach.

She moved her eyes back towards her Commanders pale green. A stoic expression on the woman's face as she pulled the blade out slowly, watching as the young black haired spectre fell to the floor.

Ashley tasted blood.

"Goddess!"

Liara watched as Shepard turned slowly towards her, the same expressionless mask painted on her face as once again, her body glowed blue.

"I got it!" Miranda shouted from the door, causing Selena to momentarily turn. The distraction was all Liara needed. Throwing a warp, she felt the energy leave her as the bullet of blue energy knocked Shepard off her feet, sending the Commander flying towards a mass of consoles. The equipment exploded in a burst of sparks and fire.

"We have to go!" Miranda shouted, lifting Ashley's arm over one shoulder. "Garrus help me with her!" Garrus lifted Ashley other arm over his shoulder.

""Liara, come on, we gotta go!"

"But-" Liara whispered, her eyes wide as she stared towards the smoking debris in front of her.

"She is going to get up from that and she's going to be pissed." Miranda shouted. "We will find another way to get her out. Right now, we have to get William's medical attention. "

Liara could see the smoke shift, watching as a black figure got to its feet.

"Liara come on!" Miranda shouted once more, already half way out the open door. Liara closed her eyes sadly, a pang of guilt and fear surging though her chest.

"I'm sorry Selena." She whispered, then followed her comrades though the door.

* * *

 ** _Hope you enjoyed this chapter, next one will be up soon! :)_**


	20. A New Development

**Sorry this chapter took so long to post. I though I had posted it already! My head has been elsewhere these days. Also, sorry it is so short, there will be a longer chapter to come along with lots of action and...stuff...whoop whoop!**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you think, reading them puts a smile on my face. :)**

 **Thanks guys,**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Her hands were covered in blood. Red, warm and sticky as it stained her fingertips, her palms and her clothes. She rushed alongside the gurney as it wheeled Ashley towards the med bay, the young spectres face pale and grey as she weakly clutched at her stomach.

Miranda ignored the wide eyed stares of the crew as they passed, concentrating on the paling face of Ashley Williams. The young woman's hands shook as she pushed them against the ripped flesh of her stomach, her pale skin caked in red.

It had been a frantic race for the exit. James had once again lost his shields to the steam bursts and Garrus had had a near miss with a barrage of bullets.

"We need to stop this bleeding now!" Doctor Chakwas barked orders as she burst through the doors of the med-bay, pressing her hands to Ashley's wound as James and Garrus lifted her onto a bed.

"Miranda get me some medi-gel, Garrus, bandages, James, I need you to press down hard on her wound."

Everyone did as they were told, a frantic rush of activity filling the medical bay. No one noticed Liara leaning against the door, her eyes filled with unshed tears. She felt lost and confused and there was a pain in her chest. A pain she was no stranger to. She had lost Shepard for a third time. She leaned heavily against the door frame. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself from falling to her knees.

She thought back to their last conversation. Remembered the hurt look on Shepard's face at her words, remembered the guilty sting her chest as her bond mate turned to leave. She had told Shepard that she was easily replaceable. The stinging pain in her chest only worsened

She was brought back to the present by the frantic beeping of machines. The Asari watched with blurry eyes as the doctor applied the Medi-gel to Ashley's wound.

"There is little I can do for her here, she needs to go to the hospital." Karin admitted, snatching the bandages from Garrus's long taloned fingers. "Tell Mr Moreau to get us to the Citadel as fast as he can!"

Liara's heart skipped a beat.

"The Citadel?" She asked, stepping into the medical bay. "We cannot just leave. Selena is still down there."

"Shepard is the whole reason Williams is in this condition." Miranda answered, pointing towards the young women who lay still in the hospital bed. Liara felt a surge of anger run through her.

"It was not her fault and you know it. The longer Selena is in Cerberus hands the more we lose her. We have to go back and -"

"And what. Risk ending up like Williams did, or worse." Miranda explained, her voice stern. Garrus moved to Liara's side, his strong arm wrapping around the Asari in a protective manor, his voice was low as he spoke, his eyes focused on nothing but Liara's.

"We are not giving up on her Liara. We will get her back. But right now, we have to get out of her. We have to help Ash."

Liara's eyes softened as she looked up at her friend, his lips trembling as she hugged herself.

"But Garrus. She needs us." She said, a lone tear finally falling down her cheek.

"Right now Ashley needs us. She is losing to much blood, if we don't get her to the Citadel now, she will die. Shepard will never forgive herself if that happens."

Liara's shoulders sagged. Garrus was right as usual, even if they did stay, even if they did, somehow get back in to the facility, they had no way of getting Shepard out. She nodded silently, hugging herself tighter.

Garrus moved his hand to his ear.

"Joker, get us out of here. We need to get to the Citadel. Ash is hurt."

A crackle sounded over the radio before Jokers voice greeted them. "What about the Commander?"

"Just do it Joker."

Joker confirmed the order, but Garrus could hear the annoyance in his voice. He turned back to Liara, his eyes narrowing as the young Asari's eyes fell to the floor. Taking a step forward he was shocked when the maiden stepped back, shrinking away from his comforting touch.

"I need to be alone right now." She said, turning on her heel. Garrus watched as she left, heading towards the elevator. Sighing he turned away, moving to Ashley's.

If Shepard was against them now, this just got a whole lot more dangerous.

* * *

 _The memories came back to her in blurred distorted flashes. Some clear as day, others dark and hazy, filled with faint memories of distant places, faceless people and echoed voices that called out to her in confusing and unrecognisable tones._

 _She seemed powerless to stop them as they played like old vids in her head. The memories plaguing her with overwhelming emotions._

 _First, she was standing in the middle of a field, looking up at a canvas of stars, watching as streams of light illuminated the sky. Someone spoke softly in her ear, giggling at something she said._

 _Suddenly she was in her room, staring intently at her hand that glowed blue. She could hear her parents laughing downstairs, voices of her neighbours, the clinking of glasses, then the sudden shrill cry of her baby brother in the other room._

 _Then she was surrounded by fire, screams and gunfire defining her as she half drags herself towards the cover of trees._

 _She meets a man named Anderson, a tall man with kind eyes. He saved her. Strong arms engulfing her in a protective embrace. He found her half dead, buried beneath scorched grass. He takes her under his wing, trains her to be the best and suddenly, he is handing her a silver box. Inside are her dog tags._

 _She holds the line on Elysium, watches as her comrades flee to safety, she empty's her rifle, every shot she takes hitting it's target. It's an hour before backup arrives and as the shuttle full of reinforcements descends, she feels the bullets rip though her stomach._

 _She witness the fall of the great race, reliving the cipher in her head._

 _She feels soft hands on her bare skin, smiles as her green eyes meet blue, relishes in the warmth of eternity._

 _The she just feels cold. Terrified. Floating in a void while her insides freeze, while the air in her lungs becomes non-existent as she finds herself drifting towards an icy planet._

 _She still feels cold when she wakes up on a table, an unfamiliar voice calling out to her. She feels betrayed when the Alliance abandons her and is overwhelmed with guilt as she watches an entire system disappear from the galaxy map. All her doing. For the greater good she tells herself. But part of her dies anyway._

 _Again she looking up into beautiful blue eyes, she is saying something about blue babies._

 _She holds a gun to the man that saved her. Her looks at her with accusatory eyes. She pulls the trigger and suddenly she is engulfed by flames. S_ _uddenly, all she feels is pain._

The memories wake her unkindly, her breath catching in her throat as she tries to sit up. She hisses in pain as agony runs down her spine, starting in her lower back and moving swiftly up to rest at the top of her neck. She grunts in announce as she finds herself once again, bound by metal restraints.

She shakes her head against the fog that rests there, closing her eyes against the blinding lights above her. Her entire body aches as she tries to remember what happened. The memories of the last few days unclear and hazy in her head.

She remembers a great pain, then suddenly, no pain at all. She remembers her body moving without her command, she remembers not being able to think for herself, remembers fighting, then suddenly she remembers flying through the air.

A small movement in her peripheral vision made her turn her head. Anger boiled in the pit of her stomach as her eyes rested on the smug looking man beside her. Her lips thinned as she turned her head back to look up at the ceiling, ignoring the burning pain that shot through her head as she did so.

"You're not even going to say Good morning?" Smith said, chuckling as he moved closer to Shepard's side.

Selena remained silent.

"You seemed to be dreaming again. Gained your memories back I assume?"

Shepard closed her eyes tightly against the crippling pain in her head.

"So I assume you remember fighting the team that came to rescue you. Killing your second in Command…Miss William's I think her name was."

Selena's eyes shot open at Smith's words. Fear surging through her as she turned her head to face her again. Smith smiled smugly, leaning in closer. His face, inches from Shepard's.

"You don't remember that?" he asked. "You don't remember running your Omni-tool through her gut?"

Shepard grit her teeth.

"You're lying."

"You keep telling yourself that." He said, moving to stand. "Either way, it does not matter. You won't remember anything by tomorrow."

The blue eyed man stepped aside, letting a young scientist at the console that controlled Selena's vitals.

"What do you mean by that?" Selena asked. She tried hard to hide the fear in her voice.

"By tomorrow, we would have reached the Citadel. We have some…lose ends we need to take care of. My scientists found a way to get rid of the little fail-safe of Doctor Caters and have improved the formula with very interesting results. The only way your friends can save you…is to kill you."

Selena watched as the scientists readied the formula. Studying the dark orange formula as it filled the tubes above the chair. Smith leaned in closer once more. His eyes staring intently into Shepard's.

"If your friends get in my way again. I will make sure you kill each and every one of them…starting with that Asari of yours."

He stood once more. Heading towards the exit.

"Begin the treatment."


	21. That's my girl

**Next chapter is up! Sorry it took so long, I have had work and Uni and may have lost a few days playing Dragon Age: Inquisition... 115 hours to be exact...What year is it again?**

 **Anyway, the game gave me a new love for Traynor, the voice actress is one of my favourites...after Jennifer Hale of course!**

 **Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I would love to hear your thoughts.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

Grokira Daral was a man that enjoyed the finer things in life. He much preferred the fruity aromas and taste of an Asari wine over the vile ales and spirits that his people seemed to like so much. He favoured the luxuries of the soft cotton sheets and expensive meats and cheese of the Citadel, much more than the lurking dark corners of Omega or the polluted crime ridden streets of his own people's planets and colonies. He would choose expensive linens and clothes to drape his large frame over the simple leathers his people often wore, preferring the glittering golds and royal reds over the smudged browns and dim oranges. Common clothes he called them. Workers clothes.

Maybe it is just because he liked to set himself apart from his people. Set himself apart from the bottom feeding thuggish reputation that his people have made for themselves…Or maybe it was just because he could afford it. He was after all, one of the best slavers in the Galaxy, but he learned early on that the art of business was the difference between a small hole in the ground and a luxury apartment on the Citadel.

He smiled as he finished off the last of his wine, complementing it with a large slice of crumbling cheese. He savoured the taste as he rose from his seat, slowly moving to the mirror to glance at his reflection. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he glanced at the gash along his head. He knew that fucking bartender had it in for him. Stupid Asari bitch.

He would have to see to it that she had an 'accident'. No one would miss her, and people paid a lot of money for Asari matriarchs, especially ones that had a lot of fight left in them. It gives them a sense of power, a sense of worth, and if he gets paid at the end of the day, he is more than happy to help them attain that power. He growled at his reflection as he heard a knock on the door.

Daral answered the door, a scowl printed on his face as he greeted his visitor. It instantly disappeared when he saw the tall blue eyed man before him. His shoulders sagged a little. Smith smiled at him, his lips pulled upwards as if he were smiling at a friend.

"Grockira. It been a long time. I haven't heard from you in a while…I was getting worried." Smith said, inviting himself in and looking around.

"I thought our business was done. I got you your test subjects." Grockira explained, his voice shaking slightly.

"Our business in done my good man, but can't an old friend just pop over for a visit." Smith's smile widened, the whites of his teeth showing.

"I wouldn't not consider us friends Smith."

The blue eyed man's smile fell, his hand moving to his chest in mock offence. "Oh, that hurts. What-ever am I going to do with your present now? "

Daral frowned.

"What are you talking about Smith?"

The door behind him opened and closed. Daral turned, his eyes widening as a red headed woman walked in. He backed away reaching for the invisible pistol on his hip.

"What is the meaning of this?" He shouted, watching as Shepard walked towards Smith, her eyes never leaving him as she obediently stood by Smiths side. Smith chuckled.

"I guess I should explain shouldn't I." He said. "Don't worry. She not here to harm you. In fact, she wishes to apologise…you know, for blowing up your planet and all."

Daral moved his gaze between Smith and Shepard. His teeth clenching in anticipation. He licked his lips before speaking.

"How?" It was only know Daral noticed the flashing control collar around the woman's neck, but even that didn't take away free will.

"It does not matter how. All that matters is I have her completely under my control." Smith explained. "It was not easy. I will tell you that. Her friends have been relentlessly trying to save her."

Smith took small steps towards the Baterian, his expression darkening. "Which leads me to the question, of how they knew _where_ to find her? How they found our facility so quickly?"

Daral shifted uncomfortably. Smith stopped right in front of him, his tall frame towering over the fat Baterian with a distasteful expression.

"I think you have outlived your usefulness to me."

The words struck Daral like a knife. A cold feeling resting in his chest and remaining there. Smith turned, walking towards the door like man walking through a park. He picked up a piece of cheese, placing the small bit of food in his mouth before continuing towards the exit. Shepard remained standing where she was. Her eyes focused on Daral.

"Kill him."

Smith closed the door behind him with a smile.

* * *

Liara stared into to the black liquid of her coffee cup with sad eyes. Her fingers tracing invisible circles on the table as she let the drink cool. Human coffee was much less stronger than the Asari brew, but it still kept her nerves at bay. Ashley had been taken in for emergency surgery, Shepard's blade had managed to do considerable internal damage. When this mess was all over, she knew Shepard would be blaming herself about it. It might have been her physically, but she in no way had control of what she was doing.

The Asari sighed and sipped her drink, squinting at the bitter taste. Asari coffee was also much sweeter. She added three teaspoons of sugar, taking another sip.

"What's eating you kid?" The distinctive sound of her father's voice caused her to look up, a small sad smile tugging at her lips. "I thought you would be out saving Shepard. Better do it fast. You look like you need to get laid. "

Liara sighed.

"Do you always have to be so crude?"

Aethyta shrugged, a cheeky smile playing across her features.

"What?" She chuckled "Sex is a great reliever of stress. It's a proven fact, and when you have a nice piece of ass like Shepard, it helps."

"I didn't think you liked humans in that way father." Liara sounded shocked. Her bright eyes widening. The Matriarch shook her head as she began to clean the bar.

"I'm not into humans. I'm in to asses, and Shepard has a nice one. Fills that uniform of hers in all the right places."

Liara sighed again, blushing as she tried to hide behind her coffee cup.

"But you didn't come here to talk about your bond-mates ass. So, what's up?"

Liara rubbed her eyes before answering.

"Ashley is injured. Badly. She is currently in surgery."

"Shit what happened?" Aethyta leaned in, placing a soft hand on Liara's forearm.

"Shepard happened. This man that took her. Did something to her head, to turn her against us. She…attacked us."

For a moment, Liara thought Aethyta would yell and scream, but to her surprise, her father just stood there, eyes focuses on her own. Waiting for her to continue.

"She had no control over what she was doing. She was trying to fight it, she must have been. What scared me most…was her eyes." Liara continued.

"Her eyes?" Her father asked.

"They were…dull. Almost completely white. I could feel her fighting with herself…but, it was very faint. Almost as if she were not there…inside herself…does that make any sense?" Liara hung her head, a tear falling down her cheek. "I fear that if we don't find her soon. That I will lose her forever...again."

Aethyta squeezed Liara's arm.

"All the more reason for you to be out there looking for her. Ashley is in good hands now, you can't do anything the doctors aren't already doing. But Shepard...your bond-mate needs you right now."

Liara wiped away another tear, staring up at her father with a new sense of respect. She sniffed then steeled her gaze.

"You're right. We cannot delay."

Aethyta watched as the young maiden hurried away, taking the coffee cup with her. The matriarch giggled, feeling a sense of pride swell in her chest.

 _That's my girl._

* * *

Miranda paced CIC with an angry scowl, her fists clenched at her side as she eyed the galaxy map. She sighed, a million questions bumping around in her head at the same time.

"Are you sure this information is correct?" She asked, turning to the dark haired tech that gazed at her with large eyes. The young woman nodded her head, checking the data on her computer once more.

"I have triple checked it, twice. Shepard and Smith are on the Citadel, she used her spectre status to gain entry without C-SEC knowing. Vid feeds see them heading towards the apartments where Daral's body was found. They left the area then disappeared. I have notified C-SEC. Garrus is working with them closely, they have yet to find any trace of Cerberus or Smith."

Miranda sighed, slamming her fist down hard on the metal frame of the galaxy map.

Traynor jumped at the sudden action. Clearing her throat. She thought for a moment, studying the screens on her computer.

"They can't have just disappeared." Liara spoke up, waving her hands wildly in the air. James barely avoided the Asari's left hand as it swiped hard towards his face.

"There might be a way we can find Shepard."

Miranda turned towards the young Alliance officer, scowling.

"Talk."

"We have been going about it the wrong way. All this time we have been searching for Smith in a hope that Shepard would be with him. After the Geth attacked the Citadel, certain sensors were installed to track even the slightest synthetic movement on the station." Samantha explained, hurriedly typing commands into her laptop. The others listened tensely.

"I could tap into the Citadels security systems. Shepard might not be fully synthetic, but more than half of her _is_ being held together with cybernetics. It could track her down." Traynor explained, Miranda nodded.

"Do it." The Australian said.

"Slight problem. By doing this I am breaking at least seven galactic laws and many, many laws of the Citadel. It will also lock C-SEC out of the system, the implications could be-"

"Just do it specialist!" Miranda yelled. Sam kept a calm composure, turning the ex-officer with thin lips.

"With all due respect ma'am. I don't answer to you." She tried to contain a smile as Miranda's composure fell. The ex-Cerberus officer mouth falling open in disbelief. The specialist turned to James, straightening her posture.

"As second acting commander of this vessel, I leave the decision to you sir."

If James Vega's eyes could widen any-more, they would have popped right out of his skull. He looked from Traynor, to Miranda, then to Liara, before moving his head back towards the young british officer. Clearing his throat, he shrugged.

"Why the hell not" He said, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

"Rules are made to be broken."

* * *

 **Next chapter will be up soon. It is already half written. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please tell me what you think!**


	22. Stand off

**It's up, at last Yay! Sorry it took so long, been super busy. Please tell me what you think!**

* * *

She watched her bond mate from afar, her icy blue eyes never leaving the sight of Shepard as she stood obediently in front of Smith, listening with a passive expression as the bastard barked ordered into his omni-tool.

The smarmy bastard was planning something big.

"We are almost in position Vega" Garrus's sounded in her ear, the vibrating tones of his voice seeming even more distorted over the radio. James kneeled beside her, his own eyes focused on the man that currently stood next to his Commander, Smith's arm resting confidently on her shoulder, a smug smile on his face.

"On my order." He whispered, the fire in his eyes intensifying as Smith unknowingly looked his way, the whites of his teeth showing behind his arrogant smirk. He stopped shouting into his Omni-tool and turned to Shepard, placing hands on her shoulders and leaning in a little too close for Liara's liking.

"Now is your time to shine Commander." Liara heard him say. "You will use your Spectre authority to authorise the team of solders I have coming onto the Citadel, and you will join them as the massacre every living thing on this god forsaken station." Liara couldn't help but gasp at his words.

"The galaxy will soon learn to fear Cerberus once more and humanity will either join us or die. And you, you will be the poster child for this little revolution of ours. Do you understand?" Smith asked. Liara watched as Shepard turned her gaze to meet his eye, her face expressionless as she answered.

"Yes sir."

Liara resisted the urge to rip this man apart at a molecular level right where he stood.

"Good. Let's get started."

Without a moment's hesitation, Selena moved towards the terminal at the far end of the room, James sudden intake of breath did not go unnoticed by Liara.

"Fuck, Tali cut the power now!" He yelled Into his radio.

"Whoa hold it Vega, we are not in position yet." Garrus voice replied.

"Just do it!"

In an instant, the room went dark, the lights flickering on and off as the basement systems powered down, for a moment the whole room was silent, until Smith finally broke the silence.

"I was wandering when you would get here. The Normandy team…here to rescue their fearless Commander." He shouted, Liara could see him through the darkness, looking up towards the many walkways above him. "I am very sorry to say that you are too late…" he chuckled. "Actually, I am not sorry at all."

James watched him through the sights of his rifle. A deep anger boiling in the pit of his stomach. He took a deep breath before moving his sights to his Commander, his finger twitching on the trigger. He hoped these knock out darts would work.

"There is no use hiding. I am sure Shepard taught you better than that…or has she trained an army of cowards?"

James took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. He watched as the dart connected with his Commander, the large needle sinking deep into her chest, just above her heart, he watched as she looked down at the offending object, watched as she pulled it from her skin, then watched in horror as her pale lifeless eyes moved up towards the walkway, glaring directly at him.

"Shit."

Smith chuckled once more before moving to sit at a desk in the corner.

"Kill them quickly, we have work to do."

In an instant, Shepard shot off, heading towards their position.

"Fuck. Move now!" James shouted, quickly getting to his feet and rushing for the stairs. In an instant he felt himself flying through the air, his body surrounded by blue energy as his body hit the floor. Suddenly he felt hands grab him, small strong digits wrapping round his neck and squeezing tightly. He felt his head slam against the wall and his vision swam and blurred. Then suddenly, he was flying through the air again, crashing through wooden crates. His vision suddenly going black.

Miranda watched as Shepard made quick work of the hulking marine that dared standing in her way, the woman's lifeless eyes scanning the area for further 'intruders.' She could see the faint blue of Liara's skin as the young Asari fled behind some crates, the glow of her biotics barely visible through the dim.

""What do we do now. That tranquillizer had enough juice in it to take down an Elcor." Garrus's angry vibrating tones made Miranda shiver. She scanned the area, searching for the blue eyed man. The man stood by the far wall, a wicked grin seeming to permanently scar his features.

"Keep Shepard busy." Miranda said, her body suddenly glowing blue. "I am going to go talk with an old friend."

Miranda could hear the Turian growl as he shot off towards his Commander, his weapon raised protectively in front of him.

Miranda focused her biotics, took a deep breath then threw a warp towards Smith. She smiled as the smug bastard's body hit the wall he was leaning against like a ragdoll. He yelped, surprised as his body suddenly slammed to the floor. Lawson was above him in a flash, two hands holding him down, her first glowing a fierce blue as she glared down at him.

"There is not where left to run Smith. Tell me how I stop her!"

The man chuckled, it was a wet gurgled sound that made Miranda's skin crawl.

"You already know the only way to stop her Lawson. You are just too much of a coward to do it. I guess the Commander turned out to be more than just your little pet project. "

Miranda frowned.

"Don't act like you're the innocent party in all this Lawson. You know how to stop her. How to kill the virus that has taken over her brain, how to kill the short out the control chip before it kills her for not doing what's she is told…you just don't want to do it."

Hearing a loud crash at the far end of the room, Miranda turned her head, staring in horror as Garrus clutched his side, blue blood seeping from his armour. It was then Shepard turned towards Liara, knocking the Asari to the floor with a vicious backhand.

Realisation hit Miranda like a three hundred pound charging Krogan. She knew what she had to do. Letting go of Smith, she clenched her fist.

"Shepard!" Miranda screamed, Selena turned to her, her body glowing.

"You can't let Smith win. You have to fight whatever his done to you. I know deep down you are trying to fight it, but you need to try harder."

Shepard tilted her head slightly, much like a dog would as they listened to their owner. She gracefully lifted one glowing hand, a large container behind her lifting with it. Miranda's eyes widened as she saw the container hurtle towards her, exploding as it hit the ground in front of her and throwing her back.

Shepard turned towards the only intruder left in the room, upholstering the pistol from her belt.

Liara watched in horror as her bond mate approached her, a pistol held tightly in her hand as she confidently stepped through the destruction she had caused, her face emotionless as Liara attempted to crawl away. She dragged herself to a sitting position against the wall. She had trapped herself. Shepard stopped in front of her, her pale eyes staring down at her with a vacant expression.

"Selena please. This is not you. Fight it." Liara pleaded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she pushed herself against the wall, her hand raising in a feeble effort to protect herself as Shepard raised the pistol. For some reason, she had yet to pull the trigger. "You have to remember who you are. Remember everything you have done, all the good you have achieved. You are not this monster Cerberus has turned you in to." Liara continued to plead, the tears now staining her dirty face with wet silver trails. She watched as the weapon in Shepard's hand wavered, the humans face softening as there was a suddenly flash of vibrant green in her eyes. The green they used to be. Selena blinked, once, twice, three times, lowering the gun slowly to her side. She seemed confused, haunted.

"Selena?" Liara whispered, daring to move closer. She shrunk back in to the wall when Shepard suddenly yelled in pain, her unarmed hand moving to grab the side of her head as she threw her head violently back. The action only lasted a few seconds and suddenly, the hard expression was back, her eyes once again replaced by the pale, dead green.

She raised her weapon quickly, ready to pull the trigger. Liara closed her eyes tightly, turning her head away from the weapon. An explosion of biotics made her jump, peering through closed lids just in time to watch as her bond mate was knocked off her feet, the weapon being ripped from her grasp as she landed heavily on the floor few feet away. As soon as she hit the floor, Shepard rolled to her feet, preparing to charge at her attacker, another bolt of blue energy knocked her down the stairs, sending her sprawling unceremoniously across the floor.

Liara moved her head in the direction of the attack, her eyes going wide as she spotted Miranda, panting heavily as she leaned on the wall for support. The human woman had a stream of blood running from her nose, a common side-effect when human biotics exerted themselves. Liara got shakily to her feet, making her way towards her.

"Are you alight?" Liara asked, Miranda nodded silently, still trying to catch her breath.

"We need to stop her."

"How?"

Miranda glanced towards the stairs, squinting at a figure stalked towards them yet again. Glowing blue. Miranda eyed the water that splattered the floor, then glanced up at the electric cables above. She sighed, looking to Liara.

"I'm sorry. But it has to be done."

With a grunt of effort, Miranda used what was left of her biotics to pull down the ceiling Shepard was under, the cables sparking as they fell to the floor. In an instant Shepard was stopped in her tracks, light blue coils of electricity curling around her body like snakes. The Commander screamed before falling to the floor, her body still as it lay smoking amidst the rubble.

"No!" Liara shouted, running to Shepard's side. She fell to her knees. Her mouth open in disbelieve as she stared down at Selena. Miranda slowly dropped to the other side of Shepard.

"What have you done?" Liara shouted. "There had to be another way!" Miranda didn't seem to hear the Asari as she shouted. Instead, she seemed to be counting.

Miranda lifted the cable gently, still counting.

She hovered the cable over Shepard's heart. Still counting.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still counting.

In one fluid movement, Miranda slammed the shimmering cable into Selena's chest. The human's body convulsing.

She did it again and again…Still counting.

Garrus hovered over them, holding his side and Miranda once again placed the cable over the Commanders heart, worry evident in her eyes.

"3...2…1." Again, Shepard's body convulsed as the current ran through it and her eyes suddenly opened, horrid gasps for breath following as she struggled to breathe, the colour returned to her eyes as she glanced round, a small trail of blood falling from her mouth.

"Commander. Calm down, take deep breaths…you're going to be fine." Miranda said softly, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder.

Liara ran a hand through Selena's hair, a small smile painting her lips. Selena looked up at her, her eyes haunted, before closing them and failing into a troubled unconsciousness.

* * *

 **It took a while, but the chapter is up! Sorry it took so long, I have not had a moment to myself these past couple of months. Uni, Work and more Uni! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, more chapters up soon. R and R!**


	23. The Sound of Fire

**Hey guys, I am not dead, I have just had a sickness called final year exams...which are still going on by the way for the next month and a half anyway! So here is the next chapter, I know it took a while but I have been super, super busy with productions and essays. SO MUCH WRITING!**

 **Hope you like the chapter, I am pretty happy with it. The next one shall be up sooner than this one was I promise. :)**

 **Please leave me a review and tell me what you think, good or bad I could always use feedback.**

* * *

Miranda rubbed her tired eyes, sighing as she felt a throbbing pain form in her temples. Placing the data pad on the desk, she moved her chair from under the table and stretched her weary legs, eyeing the now cold hot chocolate that sat beside the computer.

"You should get some rest Miss Lawson." A sweet elderly voice said from behind her, Miranda turned to watch as Dr Chakwas moved to stand beside her, a glowing data pad beeping in her hand as she typed information into it. Miranda yawned, stretching her back.

"I will sleep when I am sure I didn't give Shepard permanent brain damage." Miranda answered, drinking her cold hot chocolate and making a face.

"She is in a state, but for now she seems to be healing quite well. There might be some lasting effects of the serum but nothing major. We will know when she wakes up." Karen assured. Miranda shrugged slightly.

"A few hours of sleep might not be a bad idea. But maybe you should be having this conversation with Liara. "

Miranda inclined her head to the occupied hospital bed. The doctor followed the woman's gaze, her eyes resting on the hunched over figure of Liara. She turned her head back toward Miranda.

"I have had that conversation more than enough times to know I would be wasting my breath." Karen said. Miranda nodded in agreement.

"No argument there."

Standing from her chair, Miranda stretched one last time, her now empty cup hanging by her index finger.

"I will see you in a few hours Doctor. Please inform me if anything changes" She said then moved towards the door. She glanced at Shepard sadly as she passed, scowling at her friends pale face and dark, almost black eyes. She felt a pang of guilt surge through her, before leaving through the door.

"Would you like a cup of tea dear?"

Liara looked up at the voice that just spoke to her, Karen's kind face looking down at her with a tired smile.

"That would be lovely doctor." The Asari said, forcing a tired smile of her own.

As Karen left through the door, the young maiden could still feel eyes on her back. She heard a timid shuffling behind her as the door swished open once again.

Liara turned her head, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the woman that stood in the doorway. Alex cleared her throat, nervously rubbing her forearm.

"I… uh…" the human women licked her lips and looked down at the floor as Liara turned wordlessly back to Shepard, her light blue hands covering Selena's lifeless ones. "I just wanted to check in. See how Sele- I mean, the Commander is doing." Alex said softly. Liara was silent.

"I…I just…" Liara heard the woman sigh. "I'll come back another time..."

"Don't go." Liara finally spoke. Turning her head slightly. "You can sit with her. You owe her that much."

Alex entered wordlessly, sitting in the empty chair opposite Liara. Her eyes fell upon the face of her former lover and she bit her lip. If it weren't for the heart monitor beeping at a steady pace, she would of though the red headed woman was dead. Her skin was as white as she the sheets she lay under, her normal exotic tan non-existent. She had dark bruising under her eyes and her lips were pale and cracked. Alex could faintly see the white burn marks from the electricity, already starting to heal on Shepard neck and arms, the wounds forming strange raised welts on her skin. The young doctor looked away, fiddling with something in her lap. It was the only way she could resist the urge of taking Selena's hand in her own. She was certain the Asari sitting opposite her would turn her in to paste if she did.

For a moment, the two women just sat there. Alex stared at her hands in her lap, while Liara caressed her lover's hand, her big blue eyes never leaving the pale face of her bondmates.

"So…how is she. What has the doctor said?" Alex finally spoke. Liara narrowed her eyes at the rude interruption of silence.

"Her physical injury will heal. It is her mental state that Doctor Chakwas is worried about. We have no idea what that awful man made her do or if she will remember it. We have no idea of the long term effects of the serum. I only pray to the goddess she does not blame herself for everything that happened. " Liara answered.

Alex nodded.

"I saw Miss Williams on my way here. She seems fine. A bit sore…but fine. I don't think she blames Selena…I mean the Commander for what happened. "

"Of course she doesn't!" Liara said. "It's just…with everything that's happened…I just hope she's going to be okay."

Liara squeezed Shepard's hand tightly an action that did not go unnoticed by Alex. The human doctor sighed, moving her eyes up towards Shepard's face. She frowned, noticing the rapid eye movement of her former partner.

"She's dreaming." She said, smiling slightly. Liara followed the woman's gaze, her lips thinning as she moved her hand to push a few stray bits of hair out of the redheads face.

"Not quite dreaming."

 _She struggled against the monster that straddled her. Strong armoured thighs squeezing her hips as a stronger hand held her wrists tight above her head. She saw the armour clad figure smile behind his helmet as he pulled out a long glinting knife, the blade hovering dangerously close to her eye._

 _"Scream all you want human. No one will help you."_

 _The Baterian laughed as he drew blood from her cheek, three deep slices down the side of her face as Selena tried in vain to turn her face away. She could already feel a warm sticky substance coat the right side of her face._

 _She could feel her anger intensify as she continued to struggle, her attacker's nails digging into the soft flesh of her wrist. She felt a familiar tingling feeling of her biotics as they engulfed her body, suddenly unleashing in a back breaking eruption of rage. The Baterian that straddled her flew in to the air, his large body being forced backwards before he fell to the floor with a heavy bone cracking thud. For a moment, Selena just stared at him…open mouths as she held her hand to her bleeding cheek. He lay still, his body bent at an unnatural angle._

 _Rising shakily to her feet, Selena moved passed him slowly, before breaking out into a run. Heading towards home. When she reached the entrance to her home, her heart skipped a beat as she spotted smoke billowing from her the top floor windows._

 _She reached out a hand and opened the door, falling inside._

 _"Selena thank the gods you're okay!"_

 _Her mother's tone was fearful and frantic as Shepard closed the door behind her, blocking out the screams and gunfire from outside. Selena tried to catch her breath, the adrenaline and fear causing her entire body to shake._

 _"Where have you been?" Her Mother asked, her bright eyes narrowing in anger and fear. Tender hands moving to her cheek to inspect the wound._

 _"I was with Alex, we were in the woods... What's happening?" Selena asked, fear evident in her own voice. She felt her younger brother pull on her sleeve, fat tears running down his dirty face. Selena took the boy into her arms, holding him close._

 _"They are slavers darling. Don't worry, you will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Just keep your brother safe."_

 _Selena nodded wordlessly, holding the boy tighter._

 _"Where the hell have you been Selena. We've been worried sick!" Her father's booming voice came from the corridor. The young girl turned towards it, ready to answer when a loud bang shook the house. Her father made his way to the door, his rifle pointed protectively in front of him._

 _"Follow me out when I tell you it's safe."_

 _"But it's not safe out there. Those men are everywhere."_

 _"Just listen to me for once Selena. You come out with your mother and your brother when I tell you it is safe. We will run for the tree-line…to the old communication tower. We will call for help."_

 _Selena wanted to stop him, something inside her told her they shouldn't go out the front door, but as her father's hand touched the door, another large explosion shook the house, an inferno of fire erupting though the door where her father stood. She watched as he fell to the floor, one side of his face, an_ un- _recognizable mess of black charred meat. She heard her mother scream behind her, shouting her husband's name with a strangled cry. Selena hid her younger brother's face from the ghastly sight, staring open mouthed at her father's un-moving body. She felt tears well in her eyes._

 _"Out the back, quickly!" Selena said, turning to her mother and pushing her towards the back of the house. The woman screamed in protest and Selena persisted. She reached out to grab the rifle her father had dropped before following her mother, unable to tear her eyes away from his lifeless body._

 _As they stepped outside, Selena could feel the heat of the flames around her, she held her brother closer, unable to hear the sobs that racked his body. She watched as her mother scanned the area, fear evident in her large green eyes._

 _"Mom, we need to get to the communication tower." Selena shouted, tightening her grip on the rifle in her other hand. Her mother turned to her, then nodded, putting on a brave face. "Stay low and out of sight."_

 _"How far is it-" Before her mother could finish her sentence, a long blade pieced her chest, the bloody tip glinting manically in the glow of the firelight. Her brother screamed and buried his face deeper in to her shoulder as her mother's body fell lifelessly to the floor. Selena stared open mouthed at the beast that now stood in front of her. Four cold eyes glaring at her with malicious intent. She lifted the rifle, her finger twitching on the trigger._

 _"Stay back!" She screamed over the roaring of gunfire and explosions. The beast in front of her gave her a toothy grin, stepping over her mother's body. Selena stepped back, her arm already aching from the weapon she held in front of her._

 _"I said, stay back! I will shoot you!"_

 _The beast took yet another step, his hand twitching at his side. Selena closed her eyes, squeezing the trigger. The force of the kickback knocked her off her feet, her little brother falling to the floor and rolling away from her. She hit the floor with a hard painful thud, the back of her head connecting hard with a jagged rock that stuck from the ground. She heard her attacker laugh, a deep, unkind, throaty sound that made her blood run cold. Selena shook her head, her vision blurry. She moved her head in the direction of her little brother. Her eyes widening as she watched the tall, heavily clad man approach him and before she knew it, she was reaching out. Her short aching arms grabbing at the man's feet and pulling him down to the ground._

 _"Luke, run. Go now!" She screamed, struggling to keep the man from reaching her brother. However, Luke made no movement to run, instead, he just sat there, his eyes closed and face wet from tears._

 _"Luke, get out of here. Run!" Selena screamed, finally managing to pull herself towards the Baterian. She turned him on to his back, brought her fist up and with more strength then she knew she had, let her fist fall hard against the Baterian's jaw, once, twice three times, until the invader lay still. His face, an unrecognisable pulp of red. Rolling to the side, Selena now cradled her broken hand, gritting her teeth against the sudden surge of pain. It only took a moment to compose herself before she looked in the direction of her brother._

 _"Luke?" She yelled, her voice barely a whisper over the roaring of gunfire and explosions. She looked around, seeing nothing but destruction around her. The spot where her brother say crying moments ago now empty._

 _"Luke!" She screamed again, jumping to her feet and trying to squint through the smoke. "LUKE!"_

 _She tried again, tears now streaming down her bleeding, dirty face. It was then she heard it. A gunshot rang out, and suddenly, all she felt was pain. A sharp burning sensation in the small of her back, gradually moving through her side and towards her left hip. She looked down at her tattered clothes, her hands moving to the blood that currently seeped through her top. Suddenly her legs felt weak and as she fell to her knees, her vision began to blur, before she knew it she was laying on her side, her gaze moving towards the sky._

 _She briefly heard the hum of engines. Saw lights slowly ascend into the air, only to rise towards the clouds and disappear almost instantly. It was quiet then. No screams. No gunfire. Just the crackle of flames and fire._

 _She took one final deep breath. Than saw no more.  
_

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 **Next chapter up soon...sooner than this was put up anyway. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you are kind enough to leave me a review and tell me what you think. Feedback would be most welcome!**

 **See you next time!**


	24. Even the Hardest of Heroes Break

**Next chapter is up. It's shorter then the last ones but this is really just a little filler before the next chapter. I liked how it turned out. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Please leave a review**

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 _The first thing she felt when she came to was a burning pain in her chest, a sharp painful throbbing in her back and a stinging in her cheek. She opened her eyes, struggling to move her head as she squinted through the bright yellow sunlight that burned her retinas. She tried to sit up, a pained groan escaping past dry bloody lips as she fell back down again. A surge of hot white pain ripping through her chest like a hammer to her ribs. Her vision blurred as she fell back against the dusty ground, images of the events that took place the night before suddenly flooding her mind. She coughed, a metallic tasting liquid jumping out passed her lips and falling down her chin. The pain in her chest intensified with every movement she made, she continued to cough, droplets of blood staining her lips and mouth._

 _She could hear the distant sounds of shouting, the hum of engines and the soft crunching of heavy booted feet upon dirt and gravel. The voices grew closer, sounding more and more frantic as they grew near, until finally a dark silhouette blocked out the blinding sun, looking down at her through the visor of a blue helmet. She watched with a weak fascination as the figure removed the cover that hid his face and suddenly she could faintly see the man's face. A man with dark skin and kind brown eyes. His head was shaven and he wore a blue and gold uniform. He smiled faintly at her, rough hands surprisingly gentle as her lifted her broken body from the dusty floor. She whimpered, burying her face in his shoulder as her vision darkened once more._

 _"It's alright child. You're safe now."_

 _He held her tight. Protecting her._

 _She let herself relax in the man's arms, letting the darkness take her._

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Her eyes open slowly and for a while, all she does is stare at the ceiling. She listens to the steady beeping of her own heart-rate, timing her breaths to match it. Everything hurts. Her head hurts, her neck hurts, her back and arms and legs hurt…even her toes hurt. She blinks the grogginess from her eyes, licking her dry, damaged lips.

She remembers everything. Every needle in her arm, every memory relived only to be ripped away from her, every action she performed…every feeling she felt. Trapped inside her own mind as she killed and maimed for a mad man.

She could smell the blood of her comrade in her nose. Feel it on her skin. Another death on her conscious. Another good solider gone while she still lives. Why is it she always survived?

She felt a weight shift beside her and her hand instinctively wrapped around the hand that caressed her knuckles. An intake of breath is heard before another hand touches her face. She continues to stare at the ceiling.

"Shepard? The voice calls to her, she doesn't answer.

"Doctor Chakwas! She is awake."

The doctor obstructs her view of the ceiling by towering over her, a small tired smile on her face.

"Good Evening Commander. How are you feeling? " The Doctor asks. Shepard shrugs.

"I need to run a series of tests. Are you okay with that? "

Once again, Shepard said nothing and mealy nodded. Karen composed herself. She had never seen her commander like this. Not after Elysium, not after Saran or the collectors, not even after the Reapers. The doctor steeled herself.

"Can you sit up for me?"

Shepard did as she was told wordlessly. Liara held her hand the entire time Karin ran the tests. It was well over an hour before everything had been taken care off.

"You seem to be healing well, however you are going to feel like you just went hand to hand with a Krogan for a few days. I am going to need to check your implants daily…just to make sure they are working as they should be. You got a nasty shock. I will however advise you to stay a couple more days in the infirmary, but knowing you, you will be dressed and ready to leave the minuet I even mention you getting some bed-rest."

Karin waited for the Commander to argue.

"Okay." Shepard said, her voice was hoarse and barley audible. Karen's eyes widened, a worried look passing over her features as licked her lips.

"Okay?" she questioned.

"I'll stay." Shepard answered. The older women could barely contain her surprise as she silently stared at her Commander, the young red headed woman seeming to stare down at her bare, dangling feet, the fingers of her left hand nervously playing with the sheets she sat on.

"Or you could go up to your Cabin, rest there. Somewhere a little more private and comfortable?" Karen tired. She didn't like the idea of her tough as nails Commander backing down without a fight. Selena shrugged weakly.

"Whatever you think is best doctor." She answered and Karen hid a sigh.

"I will get your things, but be sure to get some rest!" As Karen left to fetch Shepard clothes, Liara stepped closer to her bondmate, taking the humans hand in her own and holding tightly.

"Captain Kirk will be happy to see you." Liara said, hoping the mention of Shepard's much loved and very spoilt space hamster would cheer her up. Liara could see a ghost of a smile appear on her lovers face, the corners of her lips briefly turning upwards before falling back down to form a tight lipped frown. Selena's eyes were cast downwards, unable to meet Liara's eye. The Asari gently held Shepard's chin between her forefinger and thumb, lifting the woman's head to meet her eyes.

"Don't go blaming yourself for what happened Selena. None of this was your fault. Ashley is going to be fine. She is already on her feet" Shepard sighed leaning into Liara's hand. She was glad that Ash was alive, but the feeling that tore at her chest was not going to be so easily cured.

"Can we just go…I'm tired?"

Liara nodded softly, letting Shepard get dressed. Within moments, they stood in front of the exit. Shepard took a deep breath, closing her eyes before exhaling slowly. Her back was suddenly straight as if standing at attention, her shoulders wide and strong. Her face was set in her normal steely expression and her hands were clenched at her sides. She took another deep breath, before stepping out of the medical bay, Liara followed closely behind.

She passed many of her crew, each man and women standing at attention as she passed, when they reached the elevator, Shepard punched the button three times before Liara covered her hand with her own, calming her down instantly.

They waited for the elevator to arrive, suddenly greeted by a tired voice when the door opened.

"Hey Skipper."

"Williams." Shepard greeted after a long pause, her fists tightening by her sides. "Good to see you feeling better."

"You too Ma'am. You had us worried there for a second. You have got to stop doing this whole…dying thing…" Ashley Joked with a faint smile that tugged at her lips. Shepard nodded.

"I will keep that in mind." She said, her own lips turning upwards ever so slightly. She noticed the dark haired woman slightly bent over, the white bandages wrapped around her stomach slightly visible behind the short black off duty top that she wore. Shepard cleared her throat. "I am going to be heading to the Citadel tomorrow. I want to look for a card for you…but I don't think they have a ' _Sorry I stabbed you in the stomach_ ' card. " Shepard attempted to joke, Liara could see her fists shaking at her sides. She could feel the internal struggle that Shepard was currently fighting. Her walls breaking down brick by brick.

Ashley nodded.

"No worries Skipper. It wasn't you." It's just another thing to hate Cerberus for."

"Yeah I guess."

"Well you look like you need some rest Ma'am. See you bright and early in the morning." Ashley saluted before stepping out of the elevator and disappearing round the corner. Shepard once again sighed, biting the inside of her lip.

The moment they had entered the elevator and the door had slid shut. Liara could see Shepard's shoulders sag and a defeated breath of air escaped passed her lips. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at the ground then suddenly, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. Hot tears soaking her face as sobs shook her body. Liara fell with her, her arms wrapping around the human as they pulled her closer, tightly cradling her as she broke down. Liara's stroked Shepard's hair, long slender fingers running through dark red tangles. It was strange, seeing Shepard so tame, so broken. The fire she once had had completely disappeared, replaced by the broken spirit of a women, a warrior that had seen and done too much. Liara disabled the elevator so no one could intrude on this very private moment and for only a few minutes all she did, was cradle her lover as years of abuse, years of torture and stress, pushed their way out of the humans body, until the sobs, suddenly became silent, replaced by steady shallow breaths for air.

When the elevator finally reached its destination, no words were spoken as the two women undressed and climbed into bed, arms wrapping around each other tightly. There was a long silence between them before Shepard finally spoke again.

"Thank You."

Liara smiled against Shepard's hair, then closed her eyes. Sleep, finally consuming them.

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 **Hope you enjoyed it. Just a sweet little scene between my favourite couple. Hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think. :)**


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